


Miraculous Tales of Beetle and Chatte Noire

by Battler127



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Female Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Fluff and Humor, Genderswap, Headcanon, Light-Hearted, Male Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, slight crossover elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 94,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26408935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Battler127/pseuds/Battler127
Summary: Maron Dupain-Cheng was just your average kid who wanted to be a fashion designer despite his clumsy disposition and shy nature. Annette Agreste was a teen model who wanted to be an average kid hiding her true face from the public. Neither of them expected to be chosen to be superheroes when a villain called Hawk Moth began to cause chaos in the streets of Paris. Maron was against it while Annette was all for it.Now as Beetle and Chatte Noire, the two must navigate both their new miraculous lives as Superhero Partners while balancing it with their normal lives, unaware of each other's identities and try to uncover who Hawk Moth is if they want to save Paris before it's too late.
Comments: 27
Kudos: 55





	1. Origins Stoneheart Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew this took awhile to type but this is the first chapter of the Miraculous Tales of Beetle and Chatte Noire and if the Title hasn’t tipped you off, I might’ve changed a few things. I think everyone who reads my stories knows that I have a knack to sometimes do a genderbend story.
> 
> I started to type this as a way to get it out of my head and it took off from there and slowly I began to wonder how things would play out if you reversed the genders of the two main heroes? Turns out a lot can change, especially if you perceive some things differently. Though it starts out the same in some areas, I plan to change a lot, and I mean a lot as time goes on.
> 
> Also sorry if I go overboard with the descriptions of someone every now and then. The pain of the first chapter is describing how people look.

Many Centuries ago, magic jewels bestowing incredible powers were created.

Called the Miraculous, these jewels have made their mark on history, even with many unaware of their existence with various heroes using them for the good of the human race.

Out of all of them, two were more powerful than the others.

The Earrings of the Ladybug which were said to provide its wielder with the Power of Creation and the Ring of the Black Cat, it’s opposite which grants the Power of Destruction.

According to legend, if one wields both the Earrings and the Ring, they would achieve absolute power.

Many who have heard this legend have tried to achieve this, but none have succeeded.

Time passed and the legends of the Miraculous were lost in time, however one being knew the stories and was working to find both the Earrings and the Ring, going as far as to endanger innocent people, knowing he would force the hands of whoever wields them.

Only time will tell if he’ll succeed or not.

* * *

A figure stood in the shadows with his features hidden, looking at a picture in a locket that was in his hand.

Nearby, a small purple butterfly looking creature flew around him with a worried look.

Despise the shadows hiding his features, he could see the indecision on his face.

The creature knew what his Master was planning and he was hoping that maybe, just maybe he would stop this before it starts.

But he saw the indecision turn into determination, watching as his Master closed the locket.

It would seem that his resolve outweighed his morals.

“Remind me Nooroo,” The man glanced towards the creature, his blue eyes being seen through the dark. “What does your Miraculous do?”

Nooroo said nothing at first, knowing full well that the man knew what he was capable of, but he eventually sighed. “The Butterfly Miraculous has the ability to give someone superpowers and make them your devoted follower.”

He could remember fondly of how his past masters always used them to protect others.

“Perfect.” The man said, his tone taking a dark turn, showing how different he was from the past wielders. “And by creating super villains, I should be able to draw out the wielders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous.”

Just hearing the stories of how they give absolute power made what he had planned all the more necessary.

He needed to do this, to keep his promise.

“But Master,” Nooroo pleaded, wanting to get him to see reason. “The Miraculous aren’t meant to be used for evil purposes-.”

“Enough.” Nooroo’s Master narrowed his eyes at the Kwami. “I will get this absolute power, as long as I have your Miraculous you are to obey me, do you understand?”

Nooroo hung his head in defeat, knowing that while this man wielded his Miraculous he was bound to his bidding. “Yes Master.” He said in a sad tone, watching as his Master put the locket away.

“Good, now Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

With those words, Nooroo was absorbed into the brooch the man wore and in a flash of purple light, his appearance was changed as he finally stepped out of the shadows.

He now wore a dark purple dress shirt and black slacks, a butterfly brooch pinned to his collar while his face was hidden by a silver mask, holding a black cane with a dark smirk.

“From this moment on, I am Hawk Moth.” The man declared, watching as butterflies began to gather around him, closing his eyes to feel countless emotions out in the city.

Soon, he’ll get what he desires and no one will stop him.

* * *

“Maron, wake up, your alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes.” A voice shouted, making another voice groan in exasperation, a shape curling up beneath some covers. “You’re going to be late for the first day of school.”

Just hearing the word ‘school’ made the shape groan even more before a hand reached out and turned the alarm on the phone off.

“Got it Mom.” The covers fell back a bit to show a young teenage boy with short, messy black hair with blue highlights and bluebell eyes, wearing a white sleeveless shirt and red sweatpants.

This was Maron Dupain-Cheng, just your average thirteen year old living in the city of Paris.

Nothing unusual about him unless you count the fact that his parents own a pretty popular Bakery.

Well then there was the fact that he wanted to be a Fashion Designer much like his idol Gabriel Agreste which earned him some ridicule, mostly from a certain blonde brat, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

Stretching his limbs as they popped, Maron sighed and got out of bed, staring at his desk which had a few unfinished projects he wanted to work on with different scarves, hats and jackets along with a notebook filled with countless designs.

He had so much he wanted to do, but he didn’t really finish any of them.

“Stupid slump.” Maron muttered with some annoyance.

Usually these slumps come and go, but this one lasted for so long that it was hard for him to get anything done.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Maron winced showing that he might’ve slept wrong given how his neck was aching.

That was pretty much a sign that today wasn’t going to go so well.

Still he needed to hurry, so he left his room and walked downstairs to see his mother Sabine Cheng, a short woman with short hair that was the same color as Maron’s, only less messy and grey eyes wearing a white cheongsam that held a red, black and gold plant design.

Giving his Mom a quick hug, Maron sat at the table, opening a bottle of milk. “I bet you anything that Chloe will be a part of my class again.” He muttered in distaste, not having any nice thoughts about that certain girl.

Sabine gave him a raised brow at hearing him say that. “Four years in a row? Is that possible?” She asked, seeing her son lower his head while he reached for the cereal after pouring his milk in first.

“With my luck, definitely.”

Not liking how negative he was being, Sabine messed with his hair. “Don’t say that, it’s the start of a new year, I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

Maron didn’t really believe that but he smiled and gave a nod to avoid having his mom worry, before placing the cereal down, only to knock a fruit out of the bowl as it rolled, creating a domino effect where it knocked into the milk making it spill on the floor and then hit the box of cereal causing it to hit the floor as well.

‘ _ Well if that’s not another sign of how bad today will be, I don’t know what will be. _ ’ Maron groaned in disbelief at another bout of his usual clumsiness. ‘ _ Can today get any worse? _ ’

As if to answer that question, the fruit that was still rolling, hit his bowl that was at the edge making it fall over and the contents spilled on his lap.

He just had to tempt fate.

Sabine, who was cleaning up the milk mess, gave a small smile and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to cheer him up.

* * *

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Maron walked downstairs now wearing a dark grey blazer with a white shirt underneath it and red pants, shouldering a red backpack.

Making it down the stairs as he could hear singing, Maron smiled as he saw his Dad Tom Dupain, a tall man with a rather large build, short brown hair, sideburns and a mustache, his green eyes twinkling with happiness, wearing his usual work outfit which consisted of a white shirt, blue apron and a white hat.

Hearing Maron come in, Tom turned around, showing a box of Macarons, freshly made. “These are awesome Dad!” Maron said with a grin, accepting the box. “I know everyone will love these.”

It was something of a tradition for Maron to bring sweets in on the first day of school, it was Maron’s way of bringing business in for his parents.

“I’m glad you like them,” Tom grinned at Maron. “So notice anything different about the box?”

Maron blinked before glancing down to see a beautifully engraved ‘TS’ on them. “Is this-?”

“One of your designs.” Tom confirmed much to Maron's surprise. “We have it on our new updated menus too.”

“But I threw it away.” Maron glanced at him in confusion.

It was one of the designs that he tried in his slump and it just didn’t click with him, so he ripped it out of the notebook.

“It was right next to the trash can, I picked it up to throw it away but I saw the design first,” Tom admitted given how Maron made it downstairs and didn’t see that he missed the trash. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s an amazing design, a lot of the customers agreed too.”

Maron found his cheeks a bit red, but he smiled in appreciation.

A beep from his phone however reminded Maron that he needed to hurry if he wanted to get to school on time.

“Ah I have to go, love you Dad! You too Mom! See you both tonight!” Maron exclaimed, running to the door only to pause in confusion that it wouldn’t open.

It took him a second to remember that they changed the direction the doors opened and he looked embarrassed as he pulled it open rather then push it like he used to.

Making it outside, Maron nearly got hit by a car as the light changed right before he could go across, barely stopping himself in time while a few people who were also waiting were on their phones.

‘ _ Come on. _ ’ Maron tapped his foot a bit impatiently only for his eyes to widen at seeing an elderly man wearing a red shirt with white flowers using a walking stick crossing the road, a car heading right for him despite trying to slow down.

No one else noticed due to how absorbed they were in their phones and Maron acted without thinking, running forward to grab the man, pulling him as gently as he could to the sidewalk.

But in the process, he tripped on the curb and the Macarons fell out of the box.

“Thank you young man,” The elder said with a grateful smile, watching as Maron tried to get the Macarons back in the box right when the light changed. “Oh what a disaster.”

“I-It’s fine.” Maron said, wincing as one of the Macarons was crushed under someone's foot. “Something like this always happens, besides I didn’t lose them all.”

Forcing a smile on his face, Maron grabbed one and held it out to the man who accepted it with a smile of his own. “Delicious.” He said trying it.

“That means a lot, if you want anymore, the bakery is right there, you won’t find better sweets in all of Paris.” Maron advertised before his phone beeped again. “Oh no I’m going to be late, have a nice day sir.”

Watching the young man run off, the elder pulled out a chinese engraved box in thought. “Thank you very much young man.”

“Master?” A green turtle like creature popped its head out from the collar of his shirt.

“Don't mind me Wayzz.” The man said, a conflicted look on his face.

Like his Kwami, he knew that something was coming given the dark energy Wayzz felt when the Butterfly Miraculous was activated.

And given his age the man knew he couldn’t fight it himself, so he needed to find people who could.

To do that, he needed to test their characters by putting himself in danger.

He just didn’t expect one so young to pass the test compared to the many adults that could be seen who didn’t even try.

A part of him argued that he shouldn’t give this responsibility to a child, but he might not have a choice in this matter.

All he could hope for was his choice being the right one.

* * *

Thankfully, Maron managed to make it inside of the classroom before the late bell rang.

So far so good, sure there have been a few mishaps this morning but he didn’t start off the year late, so that was progress.

Sitting down in his usual seat, Maron stopped when a familiar hand slammed on the desk in front of him.

He knew who it was immediately, especially with the carefully manicured nails being a dead give-away.

“Well, if it isn’t Maron Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe Bourgeois said with a sneer, she was a thirteen year old girl with light honey blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and ocean blue eyes, wearing her usual yellow jacket over a white shirt that had black stripes around her waist and white jean capris.

“Chloe.” Maron acknowledged with an annoyed look.

His usual tormentor, or rather everyone’s usual tormentor for the last few years.

So much for not being in the same class as her.

Here they go again.

“That’s my seat.”

Maron raised a brow, confusion evident on his face. “Since when? I’ve always sat here.”

“Not anymore,” A new voice made Maron turn to see Sabrina Raincomprix, a girl with chin length orange hair styled in a bob and sea green eyes gave a smug grin as she wore a purple and blue vest over a white long sleeved shirt, bright blue shorts and brown leggings, a pair of glasses over her eyes. “New school, new year, new seats.”

“So why don’t you go sit by that new girl over there?” Chloe suggested pointing out a new student that Maron hasn’t met, the girl turning when she was mentioned to give a glare at Chloe, recognizing someone being messed with when she saw it.

This new girl has wavy, reddish brown shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes that were behind a pair of glasses, wearing a short-sleeved plaid shirt with orange, white and purple stripes and blue jeans.

“But-.” Maron tried but Chloe cut him off.

“Annette’s arriving today and since the one in front of you is going to be her seat, this one is my seat.” Chloe told Maron, giving him a look. “There’s no way I’m going to have someone like you near my best friend.”

Maron didn’t miss how Sabrina momentarily looked saddened by that, but it was gone before anyone else could see it.

But now he was confused. “Annette? Who’s Annette?”

He wasn’t even going to bother asking about the ‘someone like you’ part given how nasty Chloe could be.

And no one could really do anything in response given who her father was, which just made this whole situation even more frustrating.

His question just made Chloe laugh. “You don’t know? I would’ve thought you knew considering who your idol is.” She mocked Maron who frowned in response to that. “Sad isn’t it?”

Sabrina gave a nod of agreement. “Annette is a famous model.”

“Who happens to think of me as her best friend.” Chloe bragged, leaving out the information that she was currently Annette’s only friend. “So go on and move.”

“Hey!” The new girl had about enough of staying on the sidelines as she walked over. “Who elected you as the Queen of Seats?”

“Ooh look Sabrina, we have a little do-gooder in our class this year,” Chloe mocked with the new girl narrowing her eyes. “What are you going to do Super Newbie? Shoot beams at me from your glasses?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” The girl then grabbed Maron by the arm. “Come on.”

Maron grabbed the box of sweets as he was being pulled, a bit surprised at what happened.

Not many people stand up to Chloe, so seeing something like that had him unsure of what to say.

But in his shock he ended up tripping on the last step right before he got to his seat and the box of sweets fell over, this time the Macarons broke on impact on the floor.

Ignoring how Chloe was snickering at the sight, Maron was quickly trying to clean up the mess, muttering apologies to the new girl for getting her involved right when the teacher walked in.

“Alright, has everyone found their new seats?” The teacher asked, her reddish orange hair pulled into a high bun, wearing a light blue jacket with a white shirt underneath and blue pants.

“Chillax boy, no biggie.” The girl said to Maron who looked in the box, only for his face to fall at seeing one Macaron left.

All the hard work his Dad did for this batch wasted.

“Not many people can handle Chloe like that, I have to say I’m impressed.” Maron tried to place that out of his mind as the new girl gave an appreciative smile.

“I just did it like how Majestia would.” The girl said, perplexing Maron before she showed her phone where a comic cover was showing and he got it. “She says that all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.”

“Okay?” Maron had no idea where she was going with this.

“Well that girl over there is evil and we’re the good people,” The girl elaborated with Maron trying not to snicker as the cartoonish picture of an evil Chloe twirling a stereotypical mustache came to mind. “We can’t let her get away with it.”

“Easier said than done,” Maron wished something could be done about it. “She’s the Mayor’s daughter, so she gets away with a lot.”

No one in the class really liked her, except for Sabrina that is.

But they keep it to themselves because of how easily she could get her way.

“Only if you let her push you around.” The girl wouldn’t budge and Maron smiled at that before he pulled out the last Macaron and broke it in half, holding it out to her.

“Names Maron.”

“Alya.” The girl accepted as they both ate right as class began with the teacher introducing herself as Miss Bustier.

Chloe however was staring at the seat in front of her in confusion. “Where is she? Annette said she would be here.”

* * *

Panting could be heard as a blonde haired, green eyed girl was running towards the school, her shoulder-length hair neatly brushed as she looked over her shoulder, as if on the run from something.

Shouldering her blue bag over a white jacket with a black v-neck shirt on underneath it and blue jeans, the girl made it to the steps when the screeching sound of a car was heard.

“Annette, please reconsider.” A young woman walked over towards the teenage girl with black hair pulled into a bun, the left side of it dyed red, wearing a black dress jacket over a red turtleneck sweater and black pants. “You know what your father wants.”

Annette Agreste grimaced as she was so close to the school, weeks of planning for this within her grasp before she turned towards the woman, Nathalie and the man who walked out as well who was rather tall with dark hair and gray sideburns, wearing a dark business suit.

Great, her bodyguard was here as well, she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised.

“But this is what I want to do.” Annette pleaded, wanting nothing more than to go to school.

To be a normal kid for once, to make friends.

Nathalie’s face actually showed something akin to pity right as Annette was about to rush in only to hear a cry and she turned to see an elderly man near the street on his stomach, his cane out of his reach as he tried to reach it with people passing him by.

Seeing something like that, Annette didn’t even think twice before running over to help him, grabbing his cane and helping him up.

“Thank you young lady.” The man said with a smile as Annette gave a friendly smile before turning to see her way to the school cut off and she knew that she just blew her chance to go in, making her hang her head.

“Please don’t tell father.” Annette requested as they began to escort her to the car.

Watching as the car drove off, the man gave a nod as he made his decision, his two tests of character done.

He found the ones to inherit them.

Only time will tell if it was the right choice, but he had faith.

* * *

Eventually the bell rang as class ended with the students getting their stuff gathered while Miss Bustier spoke up. “Those of you who have PE, head towards the stadium,” She said, not seeing one of the students getting a note passed to him. “The rest of you head over to the Library-.”

“ _ KIM! _ ” A kid with dark hair, the front of it bleached, wearing a black shirt with cross bones on it, snarled, looking ready to punch out the other kid who was wearing a red hoodie and jeans and grinning in amusement.

“Ivan!” Miss Bustier put a stop to it immediately. “What is going on?”

“It’s Kim!” Ivan said pointing at the guy while holding the note he was passed. “I’m so going to-.”

“Principal’s Office now.” Miss Bustier said, seeing this escalating as Ivan grimaced before stomping off.

“What was that about?” Maron asked in confusion as Alya gave a shrug.

* * *

“Negative emotions, this is perfect.” Hawk Moth said, feeling the rage that ‘Ivan’ was showing all the way from his hideout. “Just what I need. Anger. Sadness. The perfect puppet for my plans.”

Holding out his hands, one of the butterflies flew into it before he forced a surge of dark energy into it, turning the colors into a dark purple filled with negative emotions.

“Fly and burn a hole in his heart my Akuma.” Hawk Moth said, letting the ‘Akuma’ go as it flew through the window, heading right for the source of the negative emotions he was sensing.

* * *

Principal Damocles, a middle aged man with black bushy eyebrows, amber eyes and full face beard that was grey looked up when the door to his office opened unexpectedly with the man leaning back as he idly brushed the front of his brown dress jacket.

“Excuse me, young man.” He said to Ivan who just stepped in. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you to knock? Go out there and let’s try this again.”

Ivan gritted his teeth as he balled up his fist that was still holding the note before listening and closing the door, not seeing the black butterfly land on the bits of paper that could be seen, corrupting it when a purple outline of a mask appeared on his face.

‘ **_Stoneheart, I am Hawk Moth,_ ** ’ A soothing voice whispered in his head, the corruption working through Ivan’s head and heart quite easily. ‘ **_There is no shame in being angry, you’re in the right here while that boy is getting off despite instigating everything. I can give you the powers to make this right, just know that you’ll owe me a favor._ ** ’

Under normal circumstances, Ivan would’ve been scared or frightened of this, but with the powers hypnotizing him, he only grinned darkly. “Okay Hawk Moth.”

Dark energy surged through his arm.

Meanwhile Damocles was starting to get a bit impatient, his face resembling more of an owl then usual with his eyes narrowing. “Well? Come on-.” He gave a yelp when the door was blasted off its hinges as Ivan stood there, transformed into a giant stone behemoth with glowing yellow eyes.

“ _ KIM! _ ” Stoneheart roared with fury in his tone as Damocles backed up, still on the floor, fear in his eyes.

* * *

In the library, Alya was showing Maron some more superhero comics on her phone when a loud boom made the latter jump, falling out of his seat as the other students in the library began to panic.

“Come on!” Alya quickly helped him up and pulled on his arm until they were at the window where they saw Stoneheart who broke through the wall now outside, yelling for Kim.

“Wait, was that Ivan’s voice?” Maron asked, recognizing it only for Alya to look excited.

“This is amazing, it’s like he’s been transformed into a real life Supervillain!”

“Amazing?!” Maron looked at Alya as if she just grew an extra head. “This is bad, not amazing!”

“Don’t sweat it, whenever a Supervillain appears, a Superhero saves the day!” Alya said taking off with her phone out. “No way I’m missing this!”

Maron just stared in disbelief, trying to make sense of that.

This wasn’t a comic book, there’s no way a superhero would appear just because a ‘Supervillain’ was causing havoc.

“She’s crazy.” Maron whispered, not sure how to take the crazy turn this day has gone.

* * *

“Who was the first president of the fifth french republic?” Nathalie asked a rather bored Annette who was sitting at a pretty expensive dining table, her arms crossed in annoyance.

“Everyone thinks it was De Gaulle, but it was actually Rene Couti before the first elections.”

“Excellent Annette.” Nathalie sounded proud before another voice cut in.

“Give me a minute, wouldn’t you Nathalie?”

Annette froze as Nathalie winced when Gabriel Agreste walked in his blond hair neatly combed back, wearing his usual white dress shirt underneath a silver vest and a cream colored jacket, his piercing blue eyes narrowed at his daughter.

After a second hesitation, Nathalie gave a nod and walked off, leaving the Father and Daughter alone.

“You are not going to school, I already told you.” Gabriel didn’t even wait for Nathalie to walk off, leaving Annette to give her a betrayed look before rounding on her father.

“But Father-.”

“Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you,” Gabriel cut her off, leaving for Annette to lower her head. “You are not going outside in that dangerous world.”

“It’s not dangerous, I’m sick of being stuck in here by myself,” Annette tried to plead with him. “Why can’t I go out there to make friends just like everyone else?”

“Because you are not like everyone else, you are my daughter,” Gabriel then turned away as Annette gave him a heartbroken look. “Continue.”

As he left, Nathalie looked rather awkward and glanced at Annette. “We can continue this later if you want-.”

Annette didn’t even wait for her to finish as she ran, heading for her room, trying not to cry.

She failed when she closed the door behind her, shoulders shaking.

She was so tired of this.

Of being in this prison.

A prison where everything was decided for her.

What she wore.

What she ate.

How she acted.

Who she interacted with.

Whenever she looked outside her window or watched TV, she always saw happy families or kids playing with each other while she’s left in here, unable to even attempt any of that.

Sliding down the door until she was on the floor, Annette let out a choked sob.

She hated it.

Why? Why can’t she just do what she wanted to do instead of what he wants?!

It was her life, why can’t she have control?

“I wish I was someone else.” Annette whispered, wanting so desperately to get out of this before she felt the ground shake and heard screams outside. “Huh?”

Using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away the tears, Annette approached the window to see a squad of police cars outside of the mansion trying to stop a-... Was that a rock monster?!

“Is a Movie Shoot going on?” Annette asked before turning on the TV to see the news speaking about an actual Super Villain going on a rampage. “Wait, this is real?!”

Since when do Supervillains exist?!

“Hopefully this will be taken care of,” Annette whispered, her concern for what was happening overriding what she was thinking earlier before she glanced down to see a strange box on the table. “What in the world?”

She didn’t remember having a box with Chinese engravings in her room.

Opening up the box, Annette was confused at seeing a black ring with a green paw print on it before it shined much to her shock.

And that was before a dark skinned cat-like creature with a huge head with green eyes and three whiskers appeared, one of them being on his forehead, giving a yawn as he appraised her.

* * *

Maron sighed as he safely made it home and in his room where he was watching the news on his computer, seeing that whenever Ivan-or Stoneheart as he was calling himself was hit by something, he seemed to be growing.

“He’s getting stronger, how will the police handle this?” Maron asked, concern coursing through him.

That’s not to mention what’ll happen to Kim if Ivan reached him.

It wouldn’t be pretty.

“Still how did this happen? People don’t just turn into supervillains out of nowhere.” Maron was really perplexed about this. “This is a really strange day.”

He then looked down to see a strange box on his desk.

“What’s this doing here?”

Did his Mom put this in his room?

Feeling curious, he opened it to show a pair of red earrings with black spots on it right before it glowed as a small red creature with a big head appeared with two ladybug-like antennas and four black dots on each side of its head, giving a smile with blue eyes shining.

So Maron did the natural thing.

He screamed and jumped out of his chair, quickly backing away from his desk, falling on his butt as the small being flew towards him.

“Everything’s okay, don’t be scared.” The creature said, only to dodge as Maron began to fling items at it, not trusting the strange small creature.

“It talks!”

* * *

Annette however tilted her head to the side. “A Genie?” She asked, taking this a bit too calmly.

The creature rolled his eyes. “Oh don’t compare me to him, I met him once, he grants wishes big deal,” The creature didn’t sound too impressed while Annette’s eyes shined at this creature pretty much confirming that Genie’s do in fact exist. “I’m way more personable, Plagg nice to meet you.”

With that he flew around the room, examining it like a cat would.

“Ooh swanky room.”

Plagg landed on a nearby foosball table and bit the head of one of the players only to gag.

“Hey don’t touch that!” Annette finally intervened, trying to grab him but Plagg flew off before she could. “Get back here.”

“Everything is so shiny, can you eat this?” Plagg bit one of the game consoles before gagging. “No you can’t.”

He sounded so disappointed as he flew off away from Annette who wasn’t certain how to take this anymore.

* * *

“Listen Maron,” The creature tried, only freaking the teen out further due to it knowing his name. “I know this may seem strange but-”

She was cut off as Maron managed to trap her in a glass that he kept in his room, making her shake her head.

“Okay if this makes you feel safer.”

Maron narrowed his eyes. “What the heck are you? How do you know my name?”

“I’m a Kwami and my name is Tikki, now let me explain.” Tikki said, happy to finally get somewhere while Maron was wondering what a Kwami was.

* * *

Annette finally managed to catch Plagg who tried biting the remote, leaving the cat-like creature to give her a dull look. “I still don’t know what you’re doing here.”

“Short version, I’m a Kwami, I grant powers, your’s is the power of destruction, with me so far?” Plagg asked, leaving for Annette to shake her head.

Though the grant powers remained in her head.

D-Does this thing really grant powers?

“This might take a bit, do you have anything to eat, I’m starving!”

Slowly, Annette let Plagg go as she tried to finally rationalize this situation. “This is a prank from Dad isn’t it? No he doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

Plagg flew into her face. “Your father mustn't know that I exist, or anyone else for that matter.”

* * *

Staring at this ‘Tikki’, Maron did the next sensible thing.

“Mom! Dad!” Maron called out, trying to get his parent’s attention only for Tikki to phase through the glass, making him yelp as he realized she could’ve escaped at any time.

“No, no, no, I’m your friend Maron, you can’t tell people I exist.” Tikki flew into Maron’s face, making him back up. “You must trust me, you need to stop Stoneheart.”

Slowly, Maron blinked. “You mean the creature Ivan became? Y-You’re joking right?”

Him, try to stop that?

He was a thirteen year old boy trying to be a fashion designer, what was he supposed to do, choke him with one of his unfinished scarves?!

Sensing what he was thinking, Tikki gave a nod. “As a Kwami I can give powers and your’s is the power of creation.”

“Tch, the only power I have is super awkwardness, you have the wrong person Tikki.” Maron didn’t even hesitate to put himself down like that. “If you want someone to be a superhero then go see Alya, I met her today but she loves them-.”

“You were the one chosen.” Tikki said, cutting him off.

“Well someone obviously made the wrong choice.”

* * *

“But I’m stuck here,” Annette said as she was given the explanation on stopping Stoneheart, or rather the abridged version along with hearing that she would have a partner out there. “I can’t even go to school, what good is a superhero who is imprisoned in her own house?”

“Not good,” Plagg went by using the toilet paper as a form of log rolling with Annette finding that a bit odd. “That’s why it’s going to change soon. If you’re willing to change that is.”

“It is?” Annette asked, uncertainty in her tone, looking down at the ring that was now silver for some odd reason.

But as she asked that she realized this could be her chance.

Her wish to be a different person.

If this thing did give her powers, then she could have the power to be who she wanted to be.

The freedom she always wanted.

* * *

“I know I’m going to regret this.” Maron muttered as Tikki managed to convince him to try, mostly because he didn’t want to see how it would end if Ivan did catch up to Kim.

Thankfully the earrings were clip ons so he didn’t have to worry about his ears being pierced and he was told that he would have a partner out there, so he wouldn’t be alone which was a relief..

Though he was confused as they were black right now when he knew they were red with black spots earlier.

“So basically I just have to break the object where the thing is hiding?”

“The Akuma.” Tikki clarified for him. “And you must capture it.”

“Capture got it, and this charm thing?”

“You’re Lucky Charm, it’s your secret super power.” Tikki elaborated further. “ Then after the fight is over, you throw whatever comes out into the air, yelling Miraculous Ladybug to activate another power.”

“Secret super power right, man this is weird,” Maron shook his head, doubt still in his tone. “There’s no way I can pull something like this off.”

“Just trust yourself and say Spots On.”

“Spots On?” Maron asked, not seeing the earrings glow. “What would that-hey!”

He was cut off when Tikki was absorbed in the earrings that glowed as he felt a bit of a sharp pricking pain in his ears making him cry out before a light flashed in his room.

Grabbing the desk to steady himself, Maron looked in the mirror only to gasp in surprise.

He was now wearing a very skin tight red suit, covered in black spots, a red scarf with black dots covering his neck, its two ends going down his back resembling wings. Covering his face was a red eye mask with five black spots and the earrings were now literally pierced to his ears with a red ribbon flowing from both of them looking like antennas.

His elbows, shoulders and knees had black spots that seemed a bit more heavy there, showing that there was a bit more protection in those spots than anywhere else.

He looked like a human ladybug.

“What in the world?!” Maron screamed, placing both hands on his face only to grimace as his ears hurt. “Huh? I thought these were clip ons, nobody said anything about my ears being pierced!”

How will he explain that to his parents?!

And this suit, it left so little to the imagination that it was embarrassing for him to stand in it.

Feeling a weight on his hip, Maron glanced down to see a freaking red yo-yo.

“Seriously?” Maron asked, grabbing it in confusion. “A yo-yo? What am I supposed to do, walk the dog?”

* * *

“To activate your powers you need to say Claws Out.” Plagg explained as Annette was now wearing the ring, looking excited at the prospect of finally having freedom.

“Got it, Claws Out!” Annette shouted with excitement.

Plagg’s eyes widened. “W-Wait I still need to explain-.” He was cut off as he was sucked into the ring and in a flash of light, Annette stood in her new attire.

Feeling curious, she moved towards the mirror only to gasp in awe at seeing her new appearance.

First her neatly groomed hair was a bit more wild, adding some flair while hiding her human ears and there were a pair of black leather cat ears on her head that twitched much to her surprise, as if they were real.

Her face was covered by a black eye mask with her eyes actually being green cat-like eyes as she wore a skin tight leather catsuit that hugged her curves a bit, she wasn’t too embarrassed due to how she wore skin tight clothes as a model, her hands covered by matching black gloves that held green razor sharp claws. A long belt around her waist, coming out her back as if it was a cat tail that twitched from side to side and black steel tipped heels, she even had a small, sleeveless black leather jacket which she found cool.

Her gloves and heels had green accents around them and to top it all off, there was a bell like what a cat would wear right where a zipper should be, the collar being a little opened like her v-neck.

“Whoa, I look awesome.” Annette cheered with a wild grin, showing some sharp canines.

Raising her hand to see the claws, Annette wondered how sharp they were before she noticed a small metal baton holstered to her lower back, so she pulled it out.

“What’s this?” Annette mused, wondering if it was a weapon of some kind. “It’s a bit small-.”

She stopped when it extended into a full staff that made her grin bigger.

“Oh this is pretty cool, what else do I have Plagg?!”

Annette waited for a few seconds before realizing he wasn’t answering.

“Plagg? Huh, I guess he can’t answer me while I’m like this.”

After waiting a few more seconds, Annette turned towards the window and grinned before putting the staff up as it shrunk and leapt out the window, refraining the urge to cackle as she certainly felt the power from that leap, easily landing on the grounds before jumping over the wall with a whoop, compared to when she would normally have to slowly climb over it.

This was amazing!

* * *

“Uh Tikki? Hello? Come on this isn’t funny.” Maron was still in his room, trying to get the costume off. “This is very weird.”

It was comfortable, he’ll give it that and the scarf was rather stylish but looking like a human ladybug was the last thing he wanted.

“ _ After wrecking the Shuttlet Tower, Stoneheart is heading for the Montparnasse Tower, _ ” The News on the computer kept going, catching Maron’s attention, though it was drawn to a certain teenager biking behind Stoneheart. “ _ The monster seems unstoppable. _ ”

“Alya!” Maron felt worried for his new friend before remembering how Tikki said that he would get powers and looked at his covered hands in thought.

It seemed he hesitated too long as he heard footsteps. “Maron? Did you get home okay?” Sabine asked with Maron tensing, having no clue how to explain this situation.

Or what he was wearing for that matter.

Looking around, he quickly climbed the stairs to get to the roof considering how his room led to the small patio on the roof of the bakery, barely getting out of there before his Mom made it.

Closing the hatch behind him, Maron took a deep breath, trying to psych himself up. “Okay you can do this, you have powers, you were chosen… We’re all going to die.”

Despite feeling negative, Maron pulled the yo-yo out and played with it a bit.

“Still why a yo-yo? Tikki never said anything about this being my so-called weapon.”

With a shrug, Maron flung it towards the nearby building, a bit surprised by how far it went before it got caught on something.

“You’re kidding.” Maron whispered, not expecting that, giving a tug to make sure that it was secure, thinking he had to swing across.

What he wasn’t expecting was for the yo-yo to act like a grappling hook and send him flying with a scream of terror, launching him past where the string was caught.

* * *

“I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Annette grinned as she found out that there didn’t seem to be a max length for her staff given how it was stretched between two buildings with her easily balancing on it as if she’s been doing it her whole life, her tail swishing back and forth.

Yes there was a supervillain she had to get to as well as find her partner that Plagg spoke of, but she was having a ton of fun discovering what she can do-.

Was someone screaming?

Glancing towards the scream, she was surprised to see a figure heading right for her in a red blur before it collided with her, knocking her off the staff as she and Maron were both hurtling towards the street, the only thing stopping them from hitting it was the yo-yo that Maron had, wrapping around the staff to where they were a foot off the ground tied up together.

“Note to self, never do that again.” Maron muttered a bit dizzy while Annette stared at him in surprise before deciding this must be her partner.

Who else would dress up like this besides herself?

“Nice of you to drop in.” Annette said and it seemed Maron finally realized he wasn’t alone if his widening eyes weren’t any indication as he stared at the girl.

“S-Sorry I swear I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Annette gave a laugh, easily freeing herself, landing on her feet. “I bet you’re the partner my Kwami told me about, I’m-,” She stopped as she remembered how superheroes in those cartoons she watched had hidden identities and thought about it for a moment. “Chatte Noire… Yeah Chatte Noire and you?”

She watched as Maron landed next to her, trying to free his yo-yo, noting how she was taller than he was with the boy coming up to her chest in height.

Maron was tugging on the yo-yo, trying to free it without getting sent into the air again. “Uh My name is Ma-,” He began only for his weapon to get free and smack into his own head. “Ow very clumsy.”

Seeing how he was acting was enough for the newly named Chatte Noire to let out a giggle before her staff shortened itself and fell for her to catch. “Don’t worry Clumsy Boy, I’m learning the ropes too.” She said seeing that he was rather nervous before a loud boom made them spin around to see a building get knocked down. “Oh boy.”

Maron however stared in fear, wondering how many people got killed there because that was terrifying to see.

He then saw Chatte Noire running towards it, using her staff to extend and vault up to the rooftops. “W-Wait, where are you going?!” He called out, shocked that this girl was willingly heading towards the danger instead of away from it.

“To save Paris, right? Come on partner!” Chatte asked with a grin, disappearing as she jumped to the next building, leaving Maron by himself.

“If only I was that confident.” Maron muttered thinking that this Chatte Noire was the definition of a hero for doing this without any hesitation.

Looking down at the yo-yo, Maron gripped it tightly.

He can’t let her face it alone.

“Just trust yourself.” He began to chant, spinning the yo-yo before letting it fly and this time he was ready for it to reel him in.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Stadium, many of the students were cleaning up after their Gym Class while Kim grabbed his bag, ready to go before the whole place shook as a voice roared. “ _ KIM! _ ”

Turning towards the voice, Kim paled as he saw Stoneheart for the first time with the supervillain glaring hatefully at him from the top of the stadium.

“So who’s the wuss now?!”

“Ivan?” Kim whispered, not expecting that as the other students ran for their lives with Kim following as quickly as he could, hearing the stomps of Stoneheart who landed nearby chasing him down.

It didn’t take too long for Kim to trip, rolling on the grass, his heart pounding against his chest right as Stoneheart made it to him with a fist raised, but before anything could be done, a metal pole stabbed the ground between them.

“Hey,” Chatte Noire slid down the staff like a fireman before it shortened for her to hold in her hands. “It’s not nice to pick on people smaller than you, why not try it on someone who can fight back?”

Hearing the taunt, Stoneheart frowned with Kim taking the distraction to run away in terror. “I guess you’re talking about yourself.”

Chatte Noire just gave a smirk, jumping to dodge a swipe. “Miss me.” She taunted further, doing a roll to dodge another swipe, followed by a backflip as Stoneheart tried to squash her.

She’ll admit she was showing off a bit, having some fun with her new powers.

This really was like something out of those old superhero cartoons she saw growing up.

* * *

“Everything is going according to plan.” Hawk Moth grinned, watching the whole thing through Stoneheart’s eyes as this Chatte Noire was dodging and weaving around his Akumatized villain. “I knew creating a Super Villain would draw the wielders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, now all that’s left is for my Super Villain to destroy them and absolute power will be mine.”

* * *

Doing another backflip to dodge a strike, Chatte Noire ran up the arm of Stoneheart to slam her staff into his face, doing another flip to land a few feet away.

She then paled as he grew stronger thanks to her hit.

‘ _ There goes the idea of my magic staff being able to hurt him. _ ’ Chatte Noire grimaced, not thinking that part through, jumping back as another fist slammed into where she was, the shaking in the ground even stronger.

Where was her partner?!

Unknown to her however, Maron was there and he was freaking out at what he was seeing, hiding behind one of the seats.

“Oh man, oh man, oh man.” Maron whispered, unsure of how to do this.

He never threw a punch before in his life and he’s supposed to go up against that?!

How is Chatte Noire not freaking out?!

Who the heck thought he was a good choice for this power?!

He then saw Stoneheart rip out a soccer goal and threw it at Chatte Noire who dodged only for it to fly towards the area leading out of the stadium where Alya was crouched, recording the fight.

Seeing that, Chatte Noire threw her staff which extended to cover above Alya, protecting her from the goal, but the distraction allowed Stoneheart to successfully grab her.

Eyes widening, Maron stood up in shock, seeing Chatte Noire struggling as Stoneheart began to apply some pressure.

‘ _ I’m sorry. _ ’ Maron thought, wishing he wasn’t so scared-.

“What are you waiting for?!” Maron's head snapped to the side where he saw Alya looking at him. “The world is watching you!”

Taking a step back, Maron turned from Alya to Stoneheart, fear on his face but he saw that the villain was continuing to squeeze Chatte Noire who gave a cry showing that it was getting worse and before Maron knew it he was moving.

‘ _ W-What am I doing?! _ ’ Maron thought as he wasn’t thinking at all, his body was moving on its own.

Throwing the yo-yo, he slid past Stoneheart who gave him a confused glance, the distraction putting a stop to him crushing Chatte Noire much to the girl’s relief, only for Maron to force a smirk on his face in an effort to remain calm.

‘ _ Just fake it. _ ’ Maron told himself, tugging on the yo-yo showing that he wrapped it around Stoneheart’s legs making him fall to the floor, letting Chatte Noire go who jumped back.

“Animal Cruelty? How low can you go?” Maron taunted as Stoneheart was trying to get up before turning to Chatte Noire who was rolling her shoulders with some slight discomfort. “Sorry for the wait, Chatte Noire.”

“Just as long as you showed.” Chatte Noire said, showing that she wasn’t angry, just relieved because that was a hairy situation for her. “Now let’s do this.”

Seeing that she was about to take off and not wanting to get near that thing, Maron quickly grabbed the belt-like tail, earning a wince from Chatte Noire who came to a stop. “W-Wait, whatever hits him only makes him stronger, we can’t brute force it.”

“You have a plan?” Chatte Noire asked, quickly freeing her tail, watching as Maron bit his lip trying to think, but he shrugged. “Don’t sweat it, how about we use our powers?”

‘ _ You mean the one we can only use once? _ ’ Maron thought as Chatte Noire focused.

“Cataclysm!” Dark energy surged around her hand as she grinned. “Apparently I can destroy whatever I touch.”

“I don’t even need a super power for that.” Maron muttered, Chatte Noire giving him a curious look before she tried it on the goal post much to Maron’s shock. “What are you doing?!

It was too late as it disintegrated.

“Cool, alright let’s rumble soon to be rubble!” Ignoring Maron’s shout for her to wait, Chatte Noire jumped into the air, landing on the foot of Stoneheart, slamming her hand on it only to blink awkwardly, raising her hand to try again, very aware of how Stoneheart was giving her a deadpanned look. “Oh… I guess my Cataclysm was only for one use.”

Maron looked away as Chatte Noire was kicked back his way, sliding past the ladybug themed hero. “Now you have five minutes before you change back!” Maron exclaimed much to Chatte Noire’s shock. “Didn’t your Kwami explain that?!”

Ears folding back, Chatte Noire rubbed the back of her neck. “I may have rushed into this in excitement.” She admitted sheepishly, knowing that she should probably ask Plagg for more information after this.

Staring at her in shock, Maron sighed and gripped his yo-yo. “Well might as well.” He muttered, throwing the yo-yo up into the air. “Lucky Charm!”

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn’t for the yo-yo to create a suit that he caught.

“Uh?” Chatte Noire wasn’t sure what she was looking at. “So you can create things?”

No offense but why a suit?

She didn’t see how that would help.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect this either,” Maron admitted, now frantic considering that they were both on a time limit. “But we need to get the uh...whatwasitcalled?”

He said that last part so fast that Chatte Noire was confused on what was being said before Maron remembered.

“The Akuma, it’s the source of his power, so we need to break it.”

“But he’s made entirely out of stone.” Chatte Noire pointed out, getting into a stance as Stoneheart began to stomp towards them.

Looking at Stoneheart with a fearful expression, Maron noticed something.

“His right hand.” Maron whispered before grinning at Chatte Noire. “He’s been keeping his right hand closed this entire time, if the Akuma is anywhere, it has to be there.”

“Wait really?” Chatte Noire looked and realized Maron was right, thinking back on it, she’s never seen Stoneheart open that hand during their little scuffle.

Huh, that’s some impressive observation there.

“So what’s the plan?”

Glancing at Maron who was looking around, Chatte Noire could actually see the gears turning as he looked around from the fist towards Alya who was nearby a water tap with the hose that was unrolled right below them oddly enough, his face brightening up.

“With this.” He kicked the hose up much to Chatte Noire’s confusion, tying it to the suit. “Uh you’ll have to trust me.”

“With what-?” Chatte Noire was cut off when Maron used his yo-yo to tie her legs up. “What are you-?!”

Spinning around, Maron literally threw Chatte Noire at Stoneheart.

“ **_THIS BOY IS CRAZY!_ ** ” Chatte Noire shouted as she was grabbed by the left hand while Maron ran at Stoneheart and jumped only to be grabbed by the right hand, the villain dropping the item where the Akuma was in the process. “Great, now we’re both captured.”

“Or are we?” Maron grinned, confusing Chatte Noire. “ **_ALYA, THE TAP!_ ** ”

Giving a start at how the ‘masked’ hero knew her name, Alya listened and turned the tap water on as it went through the hose.

Chatte Noire understood immediately when the suit inflated with water inside of Stoneheart’s fist, forcing him to let Maron go as he ran towards the object that Stoneheart dropped.

Seeing that, Stoneheart ran after Maron only for the boy to throw his yo-yo, slamming into the object breaking it, watching as the Akuma flew off.

Without the Akuma, Stoneheart disappeared, turning back into Ivan who dropped Chatte Noire, the girl landing on her feet, surprised by what just happened, turning from the dazed Ivan to Maron who was watching the Akuma fly off before picking up the object that turned out to be a piece of crumpled up paper.

This guy just came up with that plan out of nowhere, with only an inflatable suit and whatever was around.

That was-... Whoa.

“Amazing.” Chat Noir breathed out in an impressed tone.

“Huh?” Ivan groaned as he looked around. “What’s going on? What am I doing here?”

The last thing he remembered was being outside of the Principal’s Office.

“That was incredible Mr. Uh Bug guy.” Chatte Noire said, her tail swishing back and forth in excitement. “You did it.”

“We did it.” Maron shook his head with a smile, relieved that worked.

He just made it up as he went, not expecting for it to work at all.

Chatte Noire grinned and held up a fist. “Pound it?” She asked, seeing something like this on an old cartoon and after a second, Maron complied with a fist bump.

“Pound it.”

A beeping brought their attention back to the fact they both were on a timer after using their powers.

And Chatte Noire had less time than Maron did. “You should go, our identities should remain a secret.”

With a smile, Chatte Noire gave a rather dramatic bow. “Very well bug boy, let’s do this again soon okay?” She asked, taking off, using her staff to extend herself out of there.

Making a face at the ‘Bug Boy’ nickname, Maron shook his head as he realized he never did give a ‘hero’ name before he turned to see Ivan sitting down a bit dejected and grew curious.

So he unrolled the note. ‘ _ You haven’t even got the guts to tell Mylene you love her, wuss. _ ’

Seeing him read it, Ivan looked away. “Kim wrote it, he’s always making fun of me.” He said before Maron smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“There’s no reason to get mad, so what if he thinks like that Ivan, there’s no shame in liking someone.”

That made the formerly akumatized teen give Maron a weird look. “How do you know my name?”

“Uh-?” Maron was a bit surprised that no one guessed it given how the mask didn’t really conceal that much.

Maybe there was a magic reason for that?

He’ll ask Tikki when he can.

“Uncanny, amazing, spectacular!” Alya said recording the interaction, reminding Maron that she was there. “Are you going to be protecting Paris from now on? How did you get your powers? Did you get stung by a radioactive Ladybug?! Oh I have a ton of questions Mister-uh…”

Alya seemed to be at a loss of what to call Maron who stood up with uncertainty given how Chatte Noire already chose her own name and there was no way Maron was calling himself Ladybug.

Sure if he was a girl the name would be fine, but that wasn’t the case here.

Ladbug? No that’s not right. Overbug? No, that doesn’t fit well for him.

Bugman? Lame.

Scarlet Bug? Insect Warrior? Lordbug?

None of those fit.

Looking for an escape as his earring beeped, reminding him of the time limit, Maron just spat out a name at random. “Beetle, call me Beetle.” He said before taking off running.

* * *

Maron barely made home when he changed back, Tikki sitting on his desk with a smile as he watched the news, a look of relief showing that surprisingly no one died.

After Stoneheart started his rampage, the Police were able to evacuate a lot of the streets and buildings, including the one that was knocked over, there were some injuries but nothing too serious.

“Oh what a relief.” Maron said with a smile as Tikki gave a laugh.

“See Maron? Told you that you could do it.”

The News then showed the footage that Alya took with both him and Chatte Noire stopping Stoneheart, showing their names as the Beetle and Chatte Noire.

“Beetle, I like it.” Maron tested the name out as he was in a hurry when he said it.

“Maron, dinner time.”

“Oh uh coming.” Maron said, rushing down the stairs where his parents had the table set as the Mayor began speaking on the news.

“ _ I am pleased to announce that we will be organizing a huge celebration in honor of our cities new protectors Beetle and Chatte Noire. _ ” Mayor Bourgeois announced with Maron not expecting that at all.

A celebration?

For them?

For something he was a part of?

Well not that they would know it was plain old Maron, no they’re celebrating the Beetle, who in the video was shown to be confident and cool rather than how he usually was.

People would probably be disappointed if they knew who was under the mask.

“Well I’ll be, Superheroes in Paris.” Tom said with a laugh, sounding relieved that everything turned out fine. “An exciting day for sure.”

“It certainly seems so.” Sabine agreed, glancing from Tom towards Maron, raising a brow at seeing the new addition to his look. “Maron, when did you get Earrings?”

A bit panicked, Maron rubbed his head. “Uh it’s something I’ve been planning for awhile.” He lied, not wanting to say anything about what they really were. “I bought them last month, but never really put them on until recently.”

Sabine tilted her head before smiling. “They suit you.” She said, leaving Maron to feel relief.

* * *

“Beetle.” Annette whispered, finally having a name for her partner as the news spoke of their victory against Stoneheart, Plagg flying around her room as she had four dishes of food prepared for the Kwami to help him get his strength back. “His name is Beetle.”

She leaned forward, cupping her cheeks with a smile as the camera zoomed in on Beetle who was talking to this ‘Ivan’ kid.

From what they could tell, Ivan had no memory of what was happening while being questioned by the police showing that there was a chance he was being controlled.

It was all speculation at this point, but given the random nature of how he was given powers and they were taken away they were looking at it from all angles.

Plagg even confirmed that someone else was pulling the strings which meant they not only saved Paris, but an innocent kid who was being controlled.

“Ew, what is this?” Plagg asked flying forward with some of the food, breaking Annette out of her thoughts.

“Seriously? My personal chef made that!” She couldn’t believe how picky Plagg was being.

“If you expect for me to get my strength back after a transformation, I expect something a bit more delicate.”

Rolling her eyes, Annette glared at him. “Okay, what do you want?” She asked, muting the TV in the process.

* * *

Unknown to the two heroes however, the Akuma was still flying around, landing on top of the Eiffel Tower where it began to multiply at a rather alarming rate.

* * *

Maron hummed as he was doing the dishes, hiding a yawn before he heard Sabine gasp. “Oh my.”

Feeling concern, Maron quickly turned the water off and ran out with a towel, drying his hands.

“ _ Just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Beetle and Chatte Noire, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capitol as dozens of people are being transformed into stone monsters, simply unbelievable. _ ”

Eyes widening, Maron quickly took off towards his room in a panic.

* * *

“You’re kidding,” Annette said with a disgusted look on her face, watching Plagg eat. “Camembert Cheese, fantastic all he eats is Camembert which means I’ll smell like stinky old cheese.”

Looking from Plagg towards the news again, Annette looked shocked at seeing pictures of multiple Stonehearts and unmuted the TV.

“ _ These victims transformed into stone monsters are as still as statues, leaving the police perplexed in what will happen to them, _ ” The Newslady said, a look of worry on her face. “ _ Will they come back to life or will they be frozen forever? _ ”

“Plagg what’s going on?!” Annette looked at her Kwami who gazed at the TV curiously. “I thought we defeated Stoneheart!”

“Did you capture the Akuma?”

* * *

“What does that have to do with the other stone beings?” Maron asked in response to Tikki’s question, concern showing in his tone as his Kwami was eating some cookies.

“An Akuma can multiply, that’s why it needs to be captured,” Tikki explained, flying around Maron who was panicking. “If Ivan feels negative again then the Akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart and he’ll be able to control an army of Stonehearts.”

Taking that in, Maron took a step back, sinking into his computer chair. “This is my fault.” He whispered, no longer feeling pride for successfully beating the first Stoneheart.

If he just did his job and captured the Akuma instead of watching it fly away this wouldn’t have happened.

“No it isn’t, it was your first time using your powers and you did great,” Tikki tried to explain to him. “Next time you go out there you’ll successfully capture the Akuma with no problems at all.”

“Next time? There won’t be a next time, I’m a screw up.” Maron said looking from Tikki towards his unfinished projects that were thrown about in the room. “A clumsy screw up, that’s all I am, not even super powers will change that.”

In fact, him having powers just made a situation like this much worse.

Chatte Noire would be better off without a screw up like him, in fact she was definitely the better hero between the two of them.

“But only you can capture the Akuma!” Tikki tried to explain, much to his horror.

* * *

“Wait, I can’t capture it? It has to be Beetle?” Annette asked making sure as Plagg gave a nod.

“Only Beetle can capture the Akuma and repair the damages done, but he won’t be able to do it without your help.” Plagg took a bite of the Camembert, leaving for Annette to back up, pinching her nose shut. “Your Miraculous are intertwined, Creation and Destruction. Yin and Yang. One can’t be without the other.”

“Well then we won’t have a problem, the two of us can easily handle this.” Annette said, ready to go fix the mess with some determination showing. “I’ll bet anything that Beetle is raring to go as well.”

* * *

“If that’s true, then it’s best you find another person to be Beetle, I can’t do it.” Maron said as he began to take the earrings off much to Tikki’s horror.

“Wait, Maron don’t-.” Tikki tried but she disappeared the moment Maron took the earrings off, unaware of how he just denounced Tikki as his Kwami.

“... Tikki?” Maron looked around, not seeing her before sighing sadly. “I’m sorry, but this was a mistake.”

He’s not a Hero.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 10,000 words for a first chapter, now that is amazing in itself. Hopefully the small changes I did implement were entertaining enough and don’t worry they’ll gradually turn into larger changes as I really have plans for this one. For example, I do want to make Chloe learn from her mistakes because realistically I doubt anyone would remain like that after so many Akuma attacks.
> 
> Still I got into Miraculous Ladybug recently and I fell in love with the show so much that I began to watch a lot about it before I decided to do a fanfic about the show.
> 
> Now at first I was going to have an OC be a part of the team, had the Kwami and the Miraculous chosen and everything but over time I scrapped it and then I looked at some of the stories I did with gender-bending and thought wait, how different would it be if I changed the genders of the two heroes and holy crap there would be so many changes if you think about it hard enough.
> 
> Also I hope everyone likes the changes I made to the costumes considering I wanted them to be different as I’ve seen that the costumes can look different considering I’ve seen artwork of Mister Bug and Lady Noir, so I added my own flair to them in a way.


	2. Origins Stoneheart Part 2

“ _ The stone beings are scattered all over Paris and for the time being are showing no signs of movement, _ ” The Newslady said as Maron watched the TV in the living room, a look of guilt on his face, some bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep. “ _ Police have cordoned off the area. _ ”

The TV then changed to show the Mayor speaking to the press. “ _ We won’t stop until we find a way to get these people back to their normal selves, _ ” He promised with a police officer right behind him who Maron recognized as Roger Raincomprix, Sabrina’s Dad, his arm in a sling as his orange hair was covered by his hat. “ _ But for now, we’re not making much headway. _ ”

It went back to the Newslady, only for a picture of Beetle and Chatte Noire to pop up, Maron staring at his alter ego for a split second before looking down in shame. “ _ Paris is relying on our new guardian angels Beetle and Chatte Noire to save us all, our lives depend on them. _ ”

‘ _ You mean on Chatte Noire. _ ’ Maron thought bitterly, slowly stirring his bowl of cereal with his spoon.

Yet he couldn’t help but feel the guilt boiling in his gut as he thought back to the earrings that were in his room that gave him his powers.

‘ _ Stop, you’re not the right person. _ ’ Maron told himself, trying to think of who he knew that would be better and one person came to mind.

Alya.

Alya was brave, good-natured and willing to stand up for others, that was the impression he got from the other day.

She even chased after Stoneheart on a bike without powers showing a drive.

She would make a much better hero then him.

All he would do was slow Chatte Noire down.

Seeing his downcasted expression, Tom spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder, making Maron jump. “Listen, I know how upsetting and scary this is, but don’t worry, we’ve got two superheroes looking out for Paris and the best way to help them is to show that we’re not scared. Because we trust them.”

All that did was make Maron feel worse as so many people were looking up to him and not even realizing it.

And trust? It was his fault this happened, no one should trust him after that.

“What if Beetle fails?” Maron whispered without even realizing it.

Seeing his face, Tom faltered before grinning as he grabbed a loaf of bread from the table and held it like a sword. “Then I’ll protect our family, Super Baker to the rescue!”

Just seeing that was enough for Maron to let out a laugh due to how random it was, feeling a bit better, making Tom smile at seeing it worked.

“Thanks Super Dad.” Maron played along with it, giving him a short hug before he left to get his stuff for school.

Oddly enough they were still going to school after what happened the other day, but Maron figured they were trying to have a sense of normalcy showing to keep people from being scared.

Once in his room, Maron grabbed his bag and his sketchbook, but stopped when he glanced at his desk drawer where he hid the Ladybug Earrings.

Slowly he opened the drawer and glanced at the box, struggling to think about this before he steeled himself and placed the box in his bag.

He’ll give them to Alya.

* * *

Nathalie frowned, checking her watch while waiting in the dining room for Annette so they could continue their lesson. “Where is she?”

She should’ve been here by now.

Feeling concerned, Nathalie went to her room and knocked. “Annette? Are you awake?” She asked, hearing no answer, making her frown before opening the door.

Much to her shock she saw the window wide open and the room empty with the clothes laid out for the day gone along with her backpack.

It didn’t take a genius to guess what happened after the other day.

…

“You didn’t see her leave?!” Gabriele asked, his teeth gritted while trying to reign in his temper while both Nathalie and his daughter’s bodyguard were standing at the bottom of the stairs. “If anything has happened to my daughter, I will hold you both responsible!”

* * *

Sliding as she made it around a corner, Annette took off running towards the school with a grin, panting a bit but she was still good to go.

It was so easy to slip out as Chatte Noire, much easier then it was without her new powers.

“You’re such a strange girl,” Plagg said, easily keeping ahead of Annette, flying backwards. “Why would you want to go to school instead of staying at home all day?”

Rolling her eyes, Annette answered. “You don’t get it Plagg, all my life I’ve been shut away from people, I want to meet others and make friends.” She said, excitement coursing through her. “Be a normal kid for once.”

Plagg suddenly came to a stop. “Uhhh, I’m feeling weak.”

Checking her phone for the time, Annette knew she wouldn’t have long before it was discovered that she escaped again, but she did know that Plagg was only feeling this way because of the short transformation they had.

So she reached into her bag, continuing their conversation. “If you want to talk about something strange, it’s the fact that all you’ll eat is this disgusting Camembert Cheese and I have to smell like it, twenty-four seven.” She said, still finding this gross. “That’s strange.”

She didn’t even watch as Plagg ate it in one bite, stretching his mouth open to comical proportions in doing so.

“If you want to be a superhero, then stinky cheese is the deal my friend.” Plagg pointed out with a grin, leaving for Annette to grimace, opening her bag for the Kwami to fly in there.

But she did smile as she was starting to grow rather fond of Plagg.

Perhaps it was because she did want a cat growing up, but like everything else in her life, her father always said no.

* * *

“Alya!” Maron managed to catch up with the girl right at the entrance of school. “Hey I need to talk to you about-.”

He was cut off when Alya showed him her phone with some sort of blog.

“What’s this?”

“The Beetleblog, bringing you the latest news about the coolest superhero, Beetle,” Alya said with Maron finding this a surprise given how it was only a day and was that a ladybug keychain hanging on the phone? “How awesome is this? Did you see the number of views I got alone for the video I posted!”

“Wha-?” Maron couldn’t even find the words to describe this.

“Originally I wanted to call it the Ladyblog, you know play on the whole Ladybug theme that guy was going for, but figured it would be better to go with his name.” Alya continued, taking her phone back. “And this is only the beginning of the blog I made.”

“Wait, you made this? In one night?!” Maron couldn’t keep the impressed tone out of his voice, despite how he was thinking it was unnecessary.

“I have skills.” Alya bragged with a grin, Maron looking down in thought.

“But why? How can you trust Beetle?” Maron asked, shaking his head. “All of those stone beings, they-.”

“He’ll handle them.” Alya said with no hesitation whatsoever, showing a huge amount of trust in Beetle for some odd reason.

“But what if he’s not cut out for it even with people saying he is?” Maron forced that one out, trying to keep calm.

Seriously, how can anyone trust him.

Tikki, his own Dad, the Newslady Nadja, now Alya?

He barely did anything compared to Chatte Noire who did most of the fighting, so why?

What made them trust him?

“What’s this about?” Alya asked before she leaned in towards his face, making Maron take a step back. “Wait, I think I know what this was about.”

Oh man she figured it out, Maron shouldn’t be surprised given how the mask didn’t really hide anything-.

“You’re scared,” Alya said placing a reassuring hand on Maron’s shoulder, making his expression change from nervousness to disbelief. “But don’t be, I saw him in action with my own two eyes, from making that plan to beat Stoneheart to cheering Ivan up after the fact. Beetle is a true superhero, no doubt about it and he’ll save us.”

Hearing that, Maron couldn’t stop the small smile on his face, flattered by that, even if he thinks differently.

It was strange to have someone talk to him about… Well him and not know about it.

Geez, what was his life becoming?

Walking up the stairs, Maron stopped when he saw Ivan sitting down as a bunch of the other classmates were around him, surprised that the teen came to school, so he walked towards the group.

“So you really don’t remember anything?” Alix Kubdel asked, being a young teen with messy pink hair that was covered by a black cap, wearing a black long sleeved jacket with lime green snake patterned sleeves.

Next to her Juleka Couffaine, another teenage girl with long black hair, the tips of it dyed a violet color, her bangs covering one of her amber eyes, wearing a black shirt, with black mesh short sleeves and purple pants with holes above the knees. “You were going totally ballistic,” She informed Ivan who looked down in shame, despite how excited she sounded. “It was so cool.”

Yeah, you were seriously out to crush me dude.” Kim said awkwardly, unsure of how to handle this.

“Sorry,” Ivan whispered, not comfortable with this type of attention. “I honestly have no clue what happened.”

“Pfft,” Everyone turned to see Chloe nearby, giving Ivan a mocking look. “Once a monster always a monster.”

Hearing that, Ivan gritted his teeth and stomped away while Chloe continued.

“Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”

* * *

“Yes, feel the burn of those words,” Hawk Moth said, feeling the energy once more from his hideout. “Lose your temper so my Akuma can infect you.”

Everything was set in place for him to claim the Miraculous as his.

* * *

Annette smiled as she made it to the steps of the school, only to once more hear the car screeching to a stop. ‘ _ Oh come on. _ ’

“Annette don’t do this,” Nathalie said in a pleading tone, getting out of the car. “Your father will be furious.”

Not this time.

“Tell him you got here too late.” Annette snapped, the action taking Nathalie by surprise. “I’m doing this regardless.”

With that said she ran in making Nathalie hang her head while the bodyguard got out, ready to go in and escort Annette out, only to be surprised when Nathalie held out a hand.

“I’ll handle it.” She said, getting back into the car, leaving for the bodyguard to shrug and get back in to drive off.

* * *

Alya glared at Chloe for what happened, but much to the surprise of her and everyone present, Maron spoke up. “Funny the only monster I see is standing right here.”

He had no clue why he said that as everyone looked at him in surprise, not that Maron could blame them considering how he always kept quiet and didn’t do much whenever Chloe was messing with him.

So for him to stand up for someone else was a surprise.

It was like when he faced Stoneheart as Beetle, he acted without thinking.

“What did you just say?!” Chloe got into Maron’s face, a bit surprised that he didn’t step back like he usually did when she did something like that. “He’s the one who caused Sabrina's Dad to break his arm.”

“And yet you’re the one acting like a brat.”

Once more he spoke without thinking

What was with him today?!

“He’s right,” Alya moved between him and Chloe, taking the attention off of him much to his relief, though Maron did see Juleka and Alix giving him a thumbs up for actually standing up to her. “Ivan is a victim too.”

“Oh please, I bet that whole not remembering anything is an act, don’t act all high and mighty just because you got the footage of those heroes.” Chloe blew the gum in her face as Alya gritted her teeth in anger.

Maron hesitated before using the distraction to walk off.

While he might not be Beetle anymore, he knew that if he was left alone after what Chloe said, the chances for Ivan to become Stoneheart again was pretty high, so he had to do something.

The moment he left however, Annette made it to the area and smiled at seeing her friend, not knowing of the conflict that was going on. “Chloe!”

Hearing her name, Chloe turned and gave a genuine smile. “Annette you made it!” She said, running to her best friend.

Her shout however drew attention as a ton of students recognized Annette due to her being a famous model and they began to flock towards her with her a bit uncertain about this.

Alya shook her head only to realize that Maron was gone, leaving her to wonder where he went.

* * *

Maron found Ivan listening to music by some lockers, no doubt trying to use music to calm himself down.

Not a bad idea, but it would only work for so long.

So he walked over and tapped his shoulder, making Ivan glance up before groaning, taking off the headphones as he did so. “No I don’t remember anything about being Stoneheart, it was not awesome being a supervillain, can you go now?” He asked, tired of it being brought up every few seconds.

And he was tired of people acting like he was a bomb, ready to blow up, even if he didn’t blame them for thinking like that.

Giving a frown, Maron just sat down next to him. “I’m not here to talk about that, what band are you listening to?”

The question caught Ivan off guard, not expecting it. “Oh uh, Citizen Soldier, it’s an American Band.”

Maron gave a nod, not really knowing them but making a mental promise to look them up before he spoke. “You should tell Mylene how you feel about her.”

Now Ivan was really surprised and scared.

How did Maron know about that?! Did Kim talk?!

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ivan said, leaving for Maron to shake his head.

“Ivan, it’s obvious from how you look at her and don’t worry I’m not here to make fun of you for it or to tell anyone,” Maron promised him, seeing how Ivan looked uncertain about this whole conversation taking a turn he wasn’t expecting. “You just need to be confident and tell her how you feel, I think she has feelings for you too.”

Hearing that, Ivan gave him a hopeful look. “You really think so?”

“I do, just talk to her.”

After a second, Ivan looked away and placed his hands on his knees. “I’m no good with words, what if I screw it up?”

“Then show her how you feel, do something you enjoy to get your feelings across,” Maron grinned. “For example, whenever my Dad tried to talk with my Mom before they got together he expressed himself through baking, so maybe you should do something similar? Like draw a picture? Write a poem-?”

“I can write a song.” Ivan suggested, liking music enough to do that with Maron nodding in agreement.

“That’s perfect, anyone would love a song written about them.” Maron stood up, placing a hand in his pocket with a grin. “Go for it.”

Looking up at Maron, Ivan smiled and stood up. “I will, thank you.” He said running off in better spirits as Maron looked relieved.

He was so certain he would screw that up, yet he actually did it.

Ivan looked so happy.

Turning to walk off, Maron gave a jump when he saw Alya leaning against the nearby wall with a grin on her face. “Look at you,” She said, showing that she saw the whole thing. “Not only did you stand up to Chloe for him, but here you are giving advice to him, are you a superhero in disguise?”

That question made Maron freeze. “M-Me a superhero? T-That’s ridiculous.”

Alya gave a snort at his face. “Relax, I’m just teasing you Maron, you did a great thing there.”

They both heard the bell ring.

“Come on Mr. Motivational Speaker, we should get to class.” Alya said with Maron giving a nod, though she didn’t see how he subtly placed the box holding the earrings in her bag.

There, now she’ll have the chance to be the hero.

Yet, Maron was feeling some uncertainty after doing that.

* * *

“This is your seat Annette, I saved it for you.” Chloe said with a smile that Annette returned.

“Thanks that means a lot.” She said sitting next to a dark skinned teen who wore a red hat over his brown hair and a blue t-shirt that had an eye design on the front, a pair of headphones around his neck. “Hi there, I’m Annette.”

Annette held out her hand, hoping she was doing this right, wanting to make some friends, while the teen gave her an unfriendly look much to her confusion.

“You’re friends with Chloe then, huh?” The teen asked, looking past Annette, causing her to follow his gaze in time to see Chloe pass Sabrina some chewed gum that was then placed in a seat.

Eyes widening, Annette stood up. “Chloe, what are you doing?!”

“The brats who sat here yesterday need a little attitude adjustment,” Chloe said as the spot was right where Maron would sit. “I’m just commanding a bit of respect that’s all.”

“I really doubt that’s necessary.” Annette knelt down to try and get the gum off the seat, leaving for Chloe to laugh.

“You have a lot to learn about school culture Annette, just watch the master.”

Annette really didn’t like that, not noticing more people coming in, one of them being Maron who narrowed his eyes at what he was seeing.

“What are you doing?!”

Annette gave a jump, turning around to see both Maron and Alya giving her a look, now realizing that it was looking like she placed it there.

Laughter erupted from Chloe and Sabrina, leading for Maron to jump to his own conclusions. “Very funny, gum on the seat, real original you three.”

He wasn’t going to take this from someone he doesn’t even know.

“No, I was trying to take this off.” Annette tried to explain, but she could tell from Maron’s face that he didn’t believe that for one second.

Walking past her, Maron made a face of disgust at seeing the gum on the seat. “You’re that friend of Chloe’s aren’t you?”

Just what he needs, another one of her friends to mess with him.

“Why does everyone keep saying it like that?” Annette whispered, hearing the annoyance in the tone whenever that was asked.

But she was starting to see why.

Was Chloe always like this?

Maron just glared before turning back to his seat, covering the gum with a tissue, ignoring Annette who looked a bit depressed at how bad of a first impression she made, now sitting in her seat as Chloe smirked behind her.

“See what I mean about respect?”

“Strange, I know I’ve seen her somewhere before.” Maron muttered as he and Alya took their seats, sitting a good distance from the covered gum.

More than that, talking to her felt a little familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“I think I know where.” Alya pulled out the phone showing Annette with Gabriel Agreste, smiling for the camera.

“Of course, she models for Gabriel Agreste-he has a daughter?”

He didn’t know that Gabriel had children.

“Blech, friends with Chloe, teen supermodel and most likely another Daddy’s girl? Forget it.” Alya shook her leaving for Maron to agree.

He already had to deal with one spoiled daddy’s girl, he didn’t need to deal with two.

The guy Annette sat next to however, looked rather confused, seeing the whole thing and knew she was telling the truth. “I don’t get it,” He said, gaining Annette’s attention. “Why didn’t you tell Maron it was Chloe who did it? He would’ve understood.”

Squirming a bit, Annette looked down at her desk. “I’ve known Chloe since we were kids, I’ve always known she wasn’t perfect, but I don’t want to throw her under the bus, she’s my only friend.”

Hearing that, the teen smiled as he realized he had this girl all wrong and held out his hand like how she did earlier. “I’m Nino and it’s time for you to make some new friends Dude.”

A bit surprised at that, Annette smiled and shook his hand, happy that she did succeed in making a friend.

* * *

“Oh no, I’m going to be late!” Mylene said in a panic, being a short, blonde girl who had strands of hair dyed green, blue and magenta, covered by a pink bandana, wearing an olive green hoodie that was over a blue shirt and a pair of dark grey shorts.

She ran out of the bathroom, only to give a shout as Ivan was waiting there nervously, the guy scaring her given how she didn’t know he was there.

“Ivan, you scared me.” Mylene said as Ivan hesitated before taking a deep breath.

“I made this for you.” He said holding up a piece of paper and pressing a button on his phone, loud music playing, the act making Mylene cover her ears in shock before he began to sing, a bit off key, sounding like he was shouting. “Mylene, be serene, don’t be so mean!”

Unknown to him it sounded like he was shouting at Mylene who cowered a bit and ran off, the act making him stop as he stared in surprise before lowering his head, turning the music off.

“Stupid.” He muttered to himself, putting the phone up so he could crumple the sheet of paper. “I’m such an idiot!”

How could he possibly think that someone like Mylene would ever like someone like him?

Why did he even listen to Maron?

Giving a choked sob, he pressed his back against the wall and slid down it, not even caring if he was going to be late.

Everyone just thought of him as a monster anyways.

* * *

“Yes, this is what I’ve been waiting for!” Hawk Moth exclaimed feeling the negative emotions at an all time high.

He was worried for a second when they disappeared, but now they were back stronger than ever.

“You know the way, evil Akuma, track down your prey and corrupt him once more!”

* * *

Ivan kept to himself, trying not to cry as he didn’t want to make things worse, not noticing the Akuma going into the paper as a familiar energy began to fill him. “No, please.”

He didn’t want this.

But his words fell on deaf ears as Hawk Moth spoke in his head. ‘ **_This is your second chance Stoneheart and this time you will have help,_ ** ’ He said in a soothing tone, the energy taking over Ivan once more. ‘ **_No one will stop you from capturing the love of your life. Just remember that I need something in return.’_ **

Filled with nothing but anger, Ivan was no longer in control as Stoneheart appeared once more.

The moment he appeared, the countless Stonehearts in Paris began to come alive and wreak havoc, causing people to scatter in fear.

* * *

“Agreste, Annette?” Miss Bustier called with the blonde looking a bit lost, leaving for Nino to grin.

“You’re supposed to say present.”

Jumping up, Annette raised her hand. “P-Present!”

Laughter erupted much to her confusion before she sat down as Nino was trying not to chuckle. “Maybe not like that, but good start.”

They fist bumped.

Maron just raised a brow, surprised by how she reacted.

It was like she’s never been to a school before.

“Bourgeois, Chloe?”

“Present.” Chloe said with a simple smirk.

“Bruel, Ivan-?” Miss Bustier was cut off when the door was slammed off the hinges, causing screams as Stoneheart was in the room.

“Present!” Stoneheart roared with people screaming while Maron stared in shock.

What just-but he spoke to him, he made sure that Ivan was happy how did-.

Wait, did Mylene really not like him in return? Was he wrong?

Was this his fault too?

None of them noticed how Annette quickly ran out of the room, using this distraction as an opportunity to become Chatte Noire.

Kim however ducked under his desk, curled up in the fetal position, having flashbacks to the other day.

“Mylene!” Stoneheart stomped over and grabbed her, using the same hand that the Akuma was in to do so.

“Ivan, let go of me!” Mylene pleaded as Stoneheart shook his head.

“I’m not Ivan anymore,” Stoneheart told her. “Only Stoneheart.”

“W-Why are you doing this?” Mylene was trying not to cry in fear as Stoneheart gazed at her.

“So you and I can be together, forever.”

That was when they heard Chloe who was on her phone. “Daddy, the monster is back-.”

“ _ YOU! _ ” Stoneheart grabbed Chloe with his other hand, turning before seeing Maron who was standing near Alya, the girl recording this with her phone. “When I’m done with the little monster, you’re next.”

Maron gulped, not expecting that right before Stoneheart broke through the wall.

“Come on, we need to follow them!” Alya said with a grin, ready to capture more camera footage of Beetle and Chatte Noire in action.

“Are you kidding? He said I’m next, I’m finding a place to hide!” Maron exclaimed, shaking his head with Alya shrugging, understanding that.

“Alright your loss, I’m getting more footage of our heroes.”

Maron sighed as Alya took off before the former hero noticed something concerning.

Alya left her bag that held the earrings which meant she wouldn’t find them and be the hero.

“Oh you have to be-Alya your bag!” Maron shouted, grabbing it as he chased after the girl.

So much for finding a place to hide.

* * *

Meanwhile Annette made it to her locker where she dropped her bag off as Plagg snickered, flying out of it. “My first day of school and I don’t even make it past roll call.”

“You kidding, you have a day off and you made some of those friends you wanted, now that’s what I’m talking about.”

“No time for a day off, we have homework.” Annette quipped with Plagg groaning before she checked to see if the coast was clear. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

Once the transformation was complete, Chatte Noire stood there with a grin, closing the locker. “Alright time for Round 2, hope you’re on your way Beetle.”

* * *

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with!” Chloe exclaimed to Stoneheart who ignored her easily, stomping through the streets of Paris. “My Daddy, the Mayor, will bring the Police, the Army, heck, the entire Calvary down on you!”

“Don’t forget the superheroes!” Chatte Noire quipped, doing a sneak attack, slamming her staff on his head, only to grimace as Stoneheart grew bigger.

In hindsight that was stupid, but she was hoping that doing that would make Stoneheart let go of the hostages as well as the item the Akuma was in so that when Beetle got there they would take care of it easily.

“You mean the superincompetent.” Chloe deadpanned with Chatte Noire just grinning in response.

Stoneheart just huffed in annoyance, glancing down at Chloe. “You want the Calvary, well here it is!” He said, stomps echoing in the distance as multiple Stonehearts came up to them, surrounding Chatte Noire.

Taking a step back as her ears folded back, Chatte Noire couldn’t stop her tail from swishing from her nerves.

They barely handled one Stoneheart, there were literally five surrounding her.

“Hope you get here soon, Beetle.” Chatte Noire muttered, hoping that her partner would appear.

At least that way she wasn’t fighting an army by herself.

“Seize her!” The real Stoneheart ordered.

That broke the dam with Chatte Noire being on the defensive running from side to side, dodging hands grabbing at her, even going between one of their legs to avoid them.

While that was happening, Stoneheart stomped off. “Ivan, where are we going?!” Mylene demanded out of fear, feeling concern for the superhero that tried to help them.

The question made Stoneheart give her a soft look despite how she was trying not to go ‘meep’ from the sudden look. “To deliver a message, then you and I can be together forever by a pretty black butterfly.”

That surprised Mylene who wasn’t sure how to take this before remembering how Ivan seemed to try and tell her something earlier.

Did that have something to do with this?

“Ugh,” Chloe gagged in disgust. “All of this lovey-dovey stuff is making me sick.”

“Don’t worry little monster,” Stoneheart snarled, hatred in his tone. “I’ll take care of you too.”

Hearing the barely veiled threat, Chloe gulped and cowered in fear.

* * *

Alya grinned as she began recording, just in time for Chatte Noire to duck under a car being thrown, using her staff to pole vault over one of the Stonehearts, going into the slide, leaning back to dodge a fist that barely grazed her face.

This was an amazing shot.

“ **_IF YOU CAN HEAR ME BEETLE, ANYTIME WOULD BE NICE!_ ** ” Chatte Noire shouted, trying not to pant due to how long she’s been dodging these attacks.

She can’t keep this up forever.

Hearing that, Alya looked around to see if he was on the rooftops. “What is he waiting for?”

He took his time last time, surely he wouldn’t do the same again?

That was the scene that Maron ran into, just in time to see Stoneheart throw a car over Chatte Noire with it heading for Alya who tried to dodge, about to be crushed.

Maron saw it in slow motion, not being able to move from shock.

Chatte Noire however threw her staff, knocking the car to where it didn’t crush her.

Instead it trapped her, though that was better than the alternative.

But much like the last time Chatte Noire did that, it left her open for one of the Stonehearts to grab her.

Unlike last time it didn’t begin to squeeze her, instead just walking off with her struggling showing that the real Stoneheart was taking her alive this time.

Maron dropped the bag, his heart pounding in his ears at everything he was seeing, unsure of what to do.

Alya and Chatte Noire were in trouble.

But his attempts at helping were what caused this mess.

“Let go you rock head!” Chatte Noire struggled against the hold despite how useless it was.

What if he made things even worse then this?!

“ **_HELP!_ ** ” Alya shouted trying to get free, but the car was beginning to move, showing that it would crush her soon enough.

Seeing that, Maron clenched a fist before sighing.

He didn’t see how it would get worse then this. If he didn’t do anything Alya would die and whoever is controlling Stoneheart would win.

So he reached into Alya’s bag and pulled the box out, running down the alley to put the earrings on.

The moment he did so, Tikki appeared with a smile at seeing him. “We need Beetle!”

“I knew you would come around.” Tikki cheered, despite how Maron was still uncertain about doing this.

“I still think I’m the wrong choice, but I’m not letting anyone die because I was being a coward,” Maron got ready and took a breath. “Tikki, Spots On!”

In a flash of light, Beetle was there.

From there he got to work, using his yo-yo to easily pull the car back, saving Alya who gave a sigh of relief before she gasped at seeing Beetle, the hero now picking up Chatte Noire’s staff along with Alya’s bag, tossing the last one at the girl who began to record him.

“You can’t stay here, it’s too dangerous,” Beetle said to her, faking an air of confidence so no one would worry despite how he was internally screaming. “Get to safety.”

With that he took off, Alya grinning at getting more footage of heroes before realizing something.

Didn’t she leave her bag inside of the school?

Why did Beetle have it?

* * *

Using the yo-yo, it took Beetle no time at all to catch up with the Stoneheart holding Chatte Noire, using the street lights to swing around the streets, jumping from one spot to the other.

‘ _ Definitely doing better then the first time I used this thing. _ ’ Beetle admitted, remembering the disaster that happened when he first tried to swing only to launch into the air.

“Chatte Noire,” Beetle shouted, catching his partner’s attention as he threw the staff right into the fist holding her. “Extend!”

Catching on, Chatte Noire listened with the staff forcing the hand open, giving her some breathing room as she rolled on the ground, still holding the staff.

“Need to work on not getting grabbed,” Chatte Noire whispered right before the yo-yo wrapped around her leg and pulled her out of the way of a fist slamming where she was, the cat themed hero now hanging upside down, looking ‘up’ at Beetle who was on top of the street light. “You have a knack for turning my world upside down.”

Despite himself, Beetle couldn’t stop the smile given how Chatte Noire was right.

Both first meetings in these Stoneheart incidents were with Chatte Noire literally being upside down.

“Quite the comedian aren’t you?” Beetle asked, earning a grin in response only for the Stonehearts to remind them of the situation with a few growls. “But now might not be the best time.”

So he jumped, still holding onto the yo-yo with Chatte Noire being pulled for the ride, the ladybug themed hero making it to the rooftops, letting his partner go as he ran off.

Being confused, Chatte Noire took off after him, wondering if he had another crazy plan like last time. “We’re not fighting them?”

“We barely did anything when there was one Stoneheart,” Beetle reminded her, jumping to another rooftop, not losing any momentum. “That’s why we need to focus on the Original, that’s the one with the Akuma.”

As they ran, Beetle looked down.

“Sorry about this.”

Chatte Noire raised a brow, parkouring off a nearby chimney, landing next to him, still going. “For what?”

“If I just captured the Akuma we wouldn’t be in this mess, instead I watched it fly off like an idiot.”

He wasn’t expecting Chatte Noire to laugh. “Don’t worry about it, we’re here right now to fix this.”

A bit surprised, Beetle just smiled before they arrived at the Eiffel Tower.

* * *

Currently the original Stoneheart was climbing the Tower, King Kong Style as Helicopters flew around him, snipers aimed to take him down but holding their fire given the ‘hostages’, some other Stonehearts around the tower despite how the Police were trying their best to keep them back.

But things were looking bleak considering anything they did would just make them stronger.

The Mayor himself was there holding a megaphone. “I demand my daughter’s safe return!” He exclaimed with nothing but worry in his tone, seeing his daughter in the hands of this ‘monster’.

“Daddy!” Chloe cried out in fear as Stoneheart snarled.

“You know what? You can have her!” With that, he threw Chloe with enough force that if she did hit the ground, she would definitely die on impact, earning a scream of terror from the Mayor.

Seeing her life flash before her eyes, Chloe clasped her hands together and prayed. “Help! I promise that I’ll be nicer to everyone, say please and thank you-.”

Right before she would hit the ground, she gave a yelp when she felt someone grab her, sliding across the street as she kept her eyes closed, thinking it was another one of those monsters.

“Got you.” The voice however made her open her eyes to see Beetle being the one to catch her, now holding her bridal style.

Unknown to her however, he had to resist the urge to ‘suddenly’ drop her out of nowhere, all the memories of the times she was nasty to him and anyone else going through his head.

But he figured she probably had enough for one day and didn’t do that.

Chloe however stared at him for a bit before quickly saying “I didn’t promise!”

Beetle blinked, not knowing what to say in response to that, quickly setting her down.

The moment he sat her down, Beetle had to move as the Mayor rushed in, giving her a hug. “My little angel!” He said in relief, having a near heart attack at what happened before giving Beetle an appreciative look for saving his daughter, Chatte Noire landing next to him.

“Nice job.” Chatte Noire said, relieved that they didn’t fail to save her friend right before they saw Officer Roger give an order.

“We’re clear to attack!”

“He still has a hostage!” Beetle exclaimed trying to stop them as they readied their weapons. “And hitting him only makes him stronger-.”

“How about you get out of the way and let the pros handle this, you failed to stop this once already!” Officer Roger interrupted him, not trusting him or Chatte Noire in the least.

The last time he checked, Police Officers were the ones who upheld the law and handled criminals, not masked vigilantes. They were the ones trained to protect and serve.

Hearing that made Beetle hesitate, but Chatte Noire placed a hand on his shoulder. “He’s wrong you know, without you that girl wouldn’t be here anymore and without you we won’t be able to catch the Akuma, we just need to prove that.” She said, showing confidence that they could do this. “So come on Partner.”

Giving a smile to his partner, the two heroes got ready only for everyone to stop when Stoneheart began to cough rather violently, spewing out a swarm of Akumas that formed a face, a News Chopper flying close by, recording every second.

“ **_People of Paris, listen carefully,_ ** ” The face of Akumas spoke, scaring everyone from what they were seeing. “ **_I am Hawk Moth._ ** ”

“Hawk Moth?” Both Beetle and Chatte Noire asked, getting ready as they realized this was the true villain.

The one who turned Ivan into Stoneheart.

But what was he doing?

“ **_Beetle. Chatte Noire._ ** ” Hawk Moth looked right at them, bringing the attention of everyone watching to the new heroes. “ **_Give me your Miraculous now, you’ve done enough damage to these innocent people._ ** ”

“Is he… Turning the city against us?” Chatte Noire asked as some of the people nearby were beginning to whisper, giving the heroes a look of distrust now.

Not that she could blame them, as far as they knew the city was normal before the heroes showed up, even if Stoneheart appeared first.

Even the Mayor who was grateful a second ago was uncertain of what to think.

Her question however made Beetle look down, his fists clenching as he repeated it in his head along with Hawk Moth’s words, anger filling him.

They did enough damage?

Who does this guy think he is?!

He didn’t even realize he was laughing, the act made everyone give him a weird look before he walked forward, not even thinking about what was going on. “You’re the one who caused that boy to become Stoneheart, you’re the one causing all of this fear and we’re the one’s doing damage? You really are a piece of work Hawk Moth,” He said with the face looking down on him in contempt. “Everything that happened only did because of you and you think you can turn this around on us?”

Just the thought of this guy painting them as the villains made him want to punch the smug look on his face.

“I don’t care how long it takes, but both Chatte Noire and I will find you and take you down, you’ll never get our Miraculous.” With that said, he threw his yo-yo to launch himself at the face, slicing right through it, making it disappear as the yo-yo literally absorbed all of the Akumas, showing how they would catch the one in Stoneheart before landing on the lower part of the Eiffel Tower.

Turning around, Beetle realized what he just did as all eyes were on him, including the News Chopper and he felt his throat go dry.

Oh crap.

Seeing the stares, Beetle knew he had to think fast and once more put on the act of confidence that his alter ego was seen for, not caring if it was faked.

After what happened, he needed to do something to keep people calm.

“People of Paris, don’t worry! As long as Beetle and Chatte Noire are around, Hawk Moth will never win, we’ll do everything in our power to keep every one of you safe, that is a promise!” Beetle exclaimed, opening his yo-yo as an explosion of purified white butterflies flew out, scattering to the wind.

Cheers erupted with Beetle having to work very hard not to look meek, the teen hero hoping that he wasn’t making an empty promise.

But he knew one thing.

For better or for worse, he was Beetle and he was here to stay.

As the cheers continued, Chatte Noire stared up at Beetle in awe.

She truly thought that Hawk Moth would succeed in turning the city against them, yet once more her partner surprised her not only by his actions but by his words.

The same partner who acted all shy and nervous when they met, saying he was clumsy, the one who felt that he was the one at fault for what happened.

It was like she was seeing a different person right now.

Shy one moment, but heroic the next. Meek, yet confident.

A walking contradiction if she was being honest, but she didn’t care.

“Whoever that is under the mask, he’s amazing.” Chatte Noire whispered as she already thought he was cool from last time.

Now that was practically blown out of the park considering the actions this time.

* * *

Hawk Moth snarled as he was watching this, a look of disgust and frustration on his face. “That’s the problem with these superheroes, they’re too… Heroic,” He spat that word out as if it were poison before focusing. “Stoneheart! They’re trying to take your loved one away from you, you must take their Miraculous to make them powerless against you.”

He gave them the chance to end this peacefully, but now he’ll take great pleasure in ending them for their defiance.

* * *

“Yes Hawk Moth.” Stoneheart whispered, hearing the order before roaring, reminding everyone that he was there before Beetle turned to face him, Chatte Noire landing next to him. “You’ll never take Mylene, to me my Stone Beings!”

With that said he began to climb the tower, having an easier time now that he had a free hand to do so.

The tower was shaking as the other Stonehearts were now climbing the tower.

“We’re going to be surrounded soon, what’s the plan?” Chatte Noire asked, turning to Beetle. “We can’t attack him and I doubt he’ll fall for the same trick that beat him last time.”

“At least we know where the Akuma is.” Beetle reminded her, despite knowing she was right.

Chatte Noire gave a nod. “In his clenched fist with Mylene, now how do we get it?”

The question made Beetle think back to everything that happened.

From how Ivan got the note from Kim teasing him for liking Mylene to when he himself gave Ivan advice to talk to her.

“We know he’s in love with her, maybe we can use that to our advantage?”

They had to move as the other Stonehearts were about to reach them.

“Okay and how do we do that?” Chatte Noire asked, not getting where he was going with this. “We make them a romantic dinner and have them kiss?”

Hearing that made Beetle’s eyes widen. “Chatte Noire, you’re a genius!” He said taking off, using his yo-yo to climb the tower.

Chatte Noire blinked, not sure what just happened, but she shrugged and decided to just go with it considering the results last time.

With that done she followed him, easily catching up thanks to her cat-like abilities, more helicopters flying around, the closer ones being the Police ones as the heroes got closer to Stoneheart who was nearly at the top before they shot past him.

The heroes made it to the top with Stoneheart glaring at them while Mylene shouted for help, revealing that she was scared of heights.

“Everything will be alright.” Beetle reassured only for Stoneheart to roar, the force of it forcing the helicopters to fly back while Chatte Noire covered her cat ears given how sensitive her heightened hearing was.

“Oh that’ll take some getting used to.” Chatte Noire muttered right as one of the other Stonehearts reached where she was with her taking her staff out to defend herself. “Whatever you’re doing, do it fast!”

Beetle gave a nod and got ready. “Lucky Charm!” He activated his power, hoping to get an item to help end this.

Much to his surprise, a ladybug themed bag appeared.

“A backpack-no wait is this a parachute?” He muttered, ignoring how Chatte was jumping and dodging the Stoneheart army, keeping them busy.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?!” Chatte Noire asked, hearing him.

Beetle just grinned. “You’ll see.” He said, not saying that he was making this up on the fly, putting the parachute on. “Get ready!”

Throwing the yo-yo, Beetle was surprised to see how easy it was for him to get it to swing how he wanted, seeing it go around Stoneheart’s neck and his arm holding Mylene.

Perhaps it was like with Chatte Noire’s staff where it extended based on thought?

Thoughts for another time.

Pulling with some difficulty, he managed to bring the arm to Stoneheart’s face, succeeding in getting Mylene and Stoneheart to kiss with the latter being so surprised he threw his hand open, Mylene barely grabbing one of his fingers to avoid falling to her death, but the object with the Akuma falling.

Surprised at that working, Chatte Noire jumped down, arms folded to shoot past the object before spinning around to swing her staff into the object, sending it right towards Beetle who caught it.

She then extended her staff into the tower to stop her descent while Beetle destroyed the object, opening up his yo-yo with the Akuma now out and the object back to being the song lyrics that Ivan wrote. “Let’s finish-oh no.”

He paled when he saw that Stoneheart turned into Ivan causing him and Mylene to begin their fall, while the Akuma was getting away.

There’s no way he can save both and get the Akuma, but if the Akuma gets away, this will be even worse then today.

Not wasting any time, Beetle got to work. “Chatte Noire, get Ivan!” He ordered, focusing on Mylene, praying to anyone who listened that he wouldn’t screw this up.

Thinking fast, Chatte Noire moved. “Cataclysm!” She shouted, using it on a part of the tower to make it lean far enough to grab onto, barely catching Ivan in the process while Beetle shot past them, grabbing Mylene and tossing his yo-yo back towards the Akuma.

Thankfully the line reached and trapped it before Beetle pulled the string on his parachute, slowing their fall just inches off the ground with Mylene looking very terrified.

Beetle however was amazed that it worked.

He really did it-no they did it.

As if agreeing, Chatte Noire grinned down at Beetle, seeing what happened before she began to help Ivan down.

After making sure Mylene was okay, Beetle opened up his weapon to let the purified Akuma go before getting ready as there was one last thing he needed to do, something Tikki explained to him that he didn’t do the other day.

Throwing the parachute up in the air, Beetle said the words that would activate a certain power this particular Miraculous would give him. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Immediately the item broke into an energy surge of Ladybugs that flew around Paris, turning the army of Stonehearts into normal people, thankfully they were transported to solid ground so no one else was falling to their deaths.

More than that all of the damage from the two fights were being repaired, they even saw the building that went down the other day back up as if nothing happened.

“Whoa,” Chatte Noire wasn’t expecting something like this as she helped Ivan walk towards them, the teen looking saddened by everything that happened despite not remembering much of it. “Are you seeing this?”

“Y-Yeah,” Beetle said in awe as Tikki never said this was what would happen, it was really something else. “Amazing.”

Chatte Noire gave a nod, looking at Beetle with a smile. “You sure are.”

“Huh?” Beetle asked, not expecting that.

* * *

Hawk Moth was seething at what was happening, gripping his cane tightly. “This is just the beginning, Beetle,” He said focusing solely on the one that mocked him during his attempt to turn Paris against them. “You and Chatte Noire may have won this battle, but rest assured I will win the war. I will get your Miraculous. I will get absolute Power. And you will pay for standing in my way.”

* * *

Seeing that everything was taken care of and the damage was repaired, the police were cleaning up the last bits and pieces the ‘Miraculous Ladybug’ ability didn’t get such as police barricades.

One good thing that came from this was that Hawk Moth’s appearance proved Ivan’s innocence and he was seen as a victim rather than the villain, Beetle and Chatte Noire confirming that part.

So Beetle smiled at Ivan and Mylene. “I think you two need to clear the air with each other,” He said with the former now being nervous, thinking that his time as Stoneheart killed what little chance he had with Mylene before Beetle gave her the song lyrics much to his horror. “It’s better if you read these.”

“W-Wait.” Ivan tried to plead only for Beetle to walk off, giving him a thumbs up to show support while Mylene read the paper, her eyes widening.

“Wow, it’s really beautiful,” Mylene gasped out, Ivan being red in the face at the unexpected compliment. “It’s a shame you can’t hear them when you scream-wait I mean when you sing.”

Ivan looked down in shame, one hand on his arm. “It was scary wasn’t it?” He asked now seeing why she ran off earlier. “I’m sorry I’ll be gentle.”

Hearing that, Mylene smiled and hugged him, something that made Ivan freeze up, not sure how to handle this before he saw Chatte Noire miming for him to return the hug, with a grin on her face.

So he copied what she did, hoping he wasn’t messing this up.

“Good for them, I think those two will be happy together.” Beetle said with a smile, crossing his arms.

Especially after everything that happened, those two deserve to be happy.

He was surprised when Chatte Noire threw an arm around his shoulders. “Speaking of which,” She began with a sly grin, her tail actually wrapping around his waist. “Want to follow their example?”

The sudden flirting took Beetle by surprise with him unsure of how to handle that before he was saved as their Miraculous beeped. “Oh look at that we have to go, see you around, Chatte Noire!” He said rather quickly, taking off while Chatte Noire grinned.

“Can’t wait, my prince.” She said, finding the reaction rather cute.

* * *

The next day, Maron was trying not to grin as Alya was telling him all about the other day, the two walking to school as the damage was magically fixed thanks to ‘Beetle’ while Tikki was hiding inside of his jacket.

“So by the time I biked to the Eiffel Tower, it was all over,” Alya groaned out with them entering the school, not seeing the silver car park behind them. “I’m way bummed.”

“Don’t worry,” Maron said, readjusting his bag. “You’ll get your scoop someday.”

“You know what, you’re right,” Alya grinned just imagining it. “Next up, Beetle, an exclusive interview.”

“Don’t forget Chatte Noire.” Maron said, though he blushed a little when he said that, remembering how she suddenly flirted out of nowhere the other day.

That was definitely a new experience for him and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Aw you’re blushing,” Alya said with a sly grin with Maron’s eyes widening. “Do you have a crush on the cat?”

“No of course not.” Maron said a bit too quickly, denying that. “Anyways your title for the interview is exciting.”

Despite knowing that he was changing the conversation, Alya allowed it, making a note to continue the one about Chatte Noire later. “I’ll do one even better, finding out who the one beneath the mask is.”

At that, Maron had to refrain from chuckling as Alya didn’t even realize that Beetle was standing right next to her.

No doubt she would flip if she knew.

But he didn’t have to worry because the other night Tikki explained that their transformations didn’t just give them powers, they had some sort of glamour charm that made it harder for people to recognize them.

That’s not to say that they can’t put it together if given enough clues or see them transform, but it was something that would definitely help with keeping a secret identity and for that Maron was grateful.

He liked the idea of keeping his hero identity and normal life separate.

Meanwhile outside in the silver car, Annette winced as her father was looking at her from the video call that was showing on a screen that was behind the front seat.

“ _ You disobeyed me Annette, take a look at that school, _ ” Gabriele told her in a stern tone. “ _ You will never, I say, never go back there again. _ ”

“But-.” Annette tried, not wanting to lose the small friends she did make only for Gabriele’s next words to take her by surprise.

“ _ Without your bodyguard, _ ” Gabriel continued, surprising her as she slowly smiled. “ _ He will pick you up and drop you off, everyday. _ ”

She swore that she saw hints of a smile on Gabriel’s face at seeing her face light up and it was enough for her to know that he did care in his own way.

“ _ Nathalie has offered to organize a new schedule, _ ” Gabriel kept going with Annette giving the woman a grateful look that she didn’t meet. “ _ You will be continuing your Music, Chinese, Fencing Classes and your photoshoots. _ ”

“Thank you Nathalie! Thank you Father!” Annette said with her eyes getting a little wet from happiness as she ran out.

Gabriel sighed and leaned back, wondering if he was doing the right thing here.

He wasn’t lying when he said the world was dangerous, memories of what happened to… Her resurfacing.

It made him a bit more controlling when it came to Annette and he was still certain that allowing this was a bad call.

But that was the first time in a long time that he’s seen her so happy.

Perhaps, this was for the best.

* * *

Making it to the class, Maron grinned and grabbed Alya’s arm. “Hang on.” He said pulling her towards the seat he originally sat at with her easily getting what he was doing as they sat down.

Just in time for Chloe and Sabrina to enter, the former giving a startled look before glaring. “You’re in the wrong seats, get lost.”

“Make me.” Maron said, not flinching as memories of staring down Hawk Moth the other day filled his head.

Compared to that, Chloe was nothing.

“I’m through letting you push me around, so what if your Dad’s the mayor?” Maron will admit he was enjoying this as Chloe was glaring at him. “So take your attitude and shove it. No one here wants to hear it.”

Was it so wrong to enjoy a little bit of payback after the last few years?

Laughter erupted from the other kids at seeing this with Chloe giving a glare that promised retribution before she sat down in the seat that Maron was in the other day, Sabrina sitting next to her only for Chloe to gasp as she ended up sitting in the gum that was placed there the other day.

‘ _ Well what do you know, karma. _ ’ Maron smiled as Alya grinned before they fist bumped.

“Nicely done.” She said, surprised by how quickly in the last two days he went from quietly being pushed around to growing a spine like that.

“Learned from a friend.” Maron answered referring to when Alya stood up for him.

That was when Annette entered the room, confused by the laughing but she saw Maron sitting in the seat behind her and waved, hoping to fix the bad first impression but Maron just looked away leaving for her to sigh and sit next to Nino who shook his head.

“Dude if you want to make friends, just talk to him about what really happened with the gum.” Nino suggested with Annette looking uncertain. “Maron’s a nice guy, he’ll understand.”

“Well, what should I say to him?”

The question made Nino grin as he made finger guns. “Just be yourself.”

Giving a grin, Annette awkwardly copied the finger guns, uncertain of what that meant.

“Hey Maron?” Maron turned to see Ivan was sitting behind him. “Sorry about threatening you the other day.”

“It’s cool, you weren’t in control.” Maron waved off, showing that he wasn’t taking it personally.

Ivan gave a friendly smile before stealing a glance at Mylene who waved at him shyly. “And thanks, for the advice.”

Maron smiled in response right before class began.

* * *

Maron grimaced after school as it was storming now with him giving a groan after hearing some thunder.

Due to how sunny it was, he didn’t even think of bringing an umbrella so that meant he’ll be drenched when he gets home even if he runs.

“Hope you don’t mind getting wet Tikki.” Maron whispered, knowing this was going to suck.

But before he could take off running, Annette walked by him, holding a black umbrella that she was beginning to open. “Hey.” She greeted him with a smile.

Seeing that, Maron looked away, thinking that she was going to brag a bit like Chloe would in this situation.

Anyone who has been ‘friends’ with her always found a way to make him miserable after all.

Seeing that, the smile dropped as Annette remembered what Nino told her, so she looked away, waiting for the car to pull up. “I just wanted you to know that I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat, I swear.” She began with Maron finally glancing at her as she finally opened the umbrella up, looking down with some sadness. “I’ve never been to school or had any other friends with the exception of Chloe, so it’s all new to me.”

‘ _ Wait, she really hasn’t been to school before? _ ’ Maron thought in surprise, remembering what he thought the other day during roll call and that was before Annette held out the umbrella.

“I’ve always imagined going to school and making friends, to be like a normal kid,” Annette continued, smiling at him. “I’m hoping we could be friends.”

“R-Really?” Maron asked, not understanding why he was having a hard time getting that out.

Or why he was starting to feel like he was about to sweat.

Was it getting hot here?

What was going on?

“Really,” Annette said, smiling as she heard a car horn and saw that her ride was here. “Take it, I think you’ll benefit more from this umbrella then me right now.”

“I-I can’t.” Maron tried to deny, given how it was her umbrella, but Annette held it out more.

“I insist.”

Uncertain of how to handle this, Maron just went with his gut and slowly reached out for the umbrella, accidentally brushing against her fingers, which made his stomach flutter before she handed it to him with Maron now holding it.

Right in time for it to suddenly close on him.

The unexpected sight was enough for Annette to erupt in a fit of giggles, not being mean, she just didn’t think that would happen while Maron was trying to open the umbrella, his usual clumsiness making that harder before he succeeded, now very red in the face, the shade matching his Beetle outfit, but he was giving a small laugh of his own.

He could barely look at her without feeling embarrassed now.

The car honked again showing that Annette needed to hurry, so she smiled, the act making Maron feel as if his knees were getting weak, dropping his backpack. “See you tomorrow.”

“Uh… See you tom-mo-to-tomato-why did I say that?!” Maron looked very flustered. “What’s wrong with me?!”

“Ooh, sounds like someone has a crush.” Tikki popped out of her jacket with a grin as Maron blinked in surprise.

“A crush? Is that what this is?”

He never had a crush before, so he didn’t know how to handle it.

But he smiled as he watched Annette get in the car and it drove off.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

He did laugh when Tikki hugged his cheek, taking his mind off of it.

Inside of the car, Nathalie who was watching raised a brow, seeing the interaction. “Should I let your father know that you have a boyfriend?” She asked, making her own conclusions.

Taken by surprise as she swore Plagg was snickering in her bag, Annette shook her head with a small laugh. “No, he’s just a friend.” She said before smiling. “I made a new friend.”

She’ll have to thank Nino for the advice.

Giving Annette a searching look, Nathalie gave a nod, seeing that she was telling the truth.

Neither Maron or Annette knew that the same old man they helped was nearby watching them, happy that he made the right choice in gifting the two with the Miraculous.

He couldn’t have made a better choice.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright second chapter done and once more over 10,000 words, man this was fun. I’m really getting into typing this story, especially since I’m finally done with the Origins part.
> 
> Now I know a lot was like the show with some minor changes, but hopefully I added enough to keep it interesting as well as flesh out the characters, particularly how different Maron and Annette are compared to their canon selves.
> 
> Plus it was fun to get inside of their heads and type how they feel in each situation, like going into detail on why Annette wanted to go to the school and how Maron truly felt about the idea of him being a superhero before he came to accept the role, I also wanted to add some small stuff for the other characters such as Ivan thanking Maron for the advice from earlier or stuff having lasting effects like Kim having mild PTSD flashbacks to when Stoneheart nearly killed him.
> 
> Like I said small stuff, but they eventually ripple into bigger ones, so please be patient.


	3. The Bubbler

A week has passed since the appearance of the Superhero Duo Beetle and Chatte Noire with the City of Paris bracing itself for when Hawk Moth would make his next move after his last two attempts using Stoneheart to achieve his goals.

Yet, to the confusion of many, the villain has been silent.

As such, no one has seen neither hide nor hair of the two heroes with many wondering what they were up to. Many imagined that they were on watch, ready to jump into action whenever Hawk Moth finally makes his move.

* * *

Annette hummed to herself as she was brushing her teeth, before a smell made her gag on the toothbrush when Plagg came in with a piece of Camembert wrapped up in a red ribbon.

“Happy Birthday Annette!” Plagg said, holding it out.

Pulling the toothbrush out, Annette coughed. “Plagg, get that out of my face!”

Sure it was sweet because Plagg loved Camembert so much that him attempting to give some away was a sign of true friendship from the Kwami, but the smell was easily making her sick.

And she didn’t want to brush her teeth again because she threw up.

Plagg shrugged and ate it, not too bothered at all before seeing her phone out as it had a certain picture for the background. “Still have that crush on Beetle, I take it?” He asked with a raised brow.

“More than a crush.” Annette didn’t even deny it, giving a smile, not paying attention to Plagg who faked gagged.

“You don’t even know who he is.” Plagg pointed out, now flying to land on the sink faucet, idly poking it out of boredom. “And you only met him twice.”

“And? I know enough,” Annette turned the faucet on to rinse her toothbrush out, Plagg jumping off as she did that. “He’s brave, selfless, smart, heroic.”

Plagg rolled his eyes at what was being said, thinking that it was something that would go away eventually.

With each word however, Annette’s smile got bigger, thinking about her prince.

He was like one of those knights from the fairy tales she used to read growing up.

She wondered what he was doing right now?

* * *

Snoring could be heard as Maron was sleeping in his room, Tikki curled up on his stomach while the covers were kicked off the bed, one leg hanging off the bed, drool dripping down his chin.

Probably not the most dignified that he’s ever been but after the last few sleepless nights, he was too tired to care.

It didn’t last however as the phone alarm went off, making him jump out of bed immediately on reflex, Tikki waking up as she was sent into the air, making herself float to avoid hitting the floor, giving him a rather annoyed look for doing that with no warning.

Maron didn’t care, turning the alarm off as he went to run down the stairs from the loft, tripping on the second to last step, making him face plant into the floor with a grunt.

But he got up showing how used to that he was.

“Happy Birthday!” He exclaimed, feeling very excited, moving to grab a wrapped present that was on his desk, hugging it with a smile.

He really hoped she liked it.

“Maron, I think you’re supposed to wait until you see Annette before you say that.” Tikki flew up to him with a giggle while the boy blushed.

“I-I know that, I’m just practicing.” Maron whispered, trying not to think of all the times he tried to talk to the girl he gained a crush on the last few days, only to say complete gibberish. “I just want this to go perfectly.”

What if she didn’t like the present?

As if sensing what he was thinking, Tikki flew down and poked his arm. “I’m sure she’ll love it, you spent the last few days pulling all nighters making it.”

Maron gave her an appreciative look before yawning.

It took several all-nighters because he kept restarting even for the smallest mistakes, it had to be perfect.

Maybe that was a bit too much, but given how he couldn’t work on it as much as he wanted to due to learning more about his duties as Beetle and homework, he had to make do.

Sitting at his desk, Maron turned on the computer where the background of his computer which used to be a picture of different fashion styles showed the cover art of one of the fashion magazines that Annette was a part of with him looking at it with a dreamy expression.

“Happy Bi-leck-no Hail-guh.” He said, trying to practice, groaning in frustration.

He can’t even speak to a picture of her, what hope does he have to say it to her face?

She probably thought he was weird.

Looking to the side, Maron could see the umbrella that she gave him on that day and smiled.

He did try to give it back, but she told him to keep it, saying she had an extra, so he made sure not to go anywhere without it in case it ever rained.

A few minutes later, he was ready for school as he walked downstairs to see Sabine drinking some tea. “Maron, don’t forget to clean your room after school today.” She reminded her son who had to resist the urge to grimace.

“Mom, it’s Friday and I already made plans.” He said, trying to get out of it.

Sabine just raised a brow with a grin. “Fine, I’ll clean it for you,” She said, confusing Maron. “Just don’t blame me if I come across your private stuff such as emails, your journal, maybe pictures of your crush-?”

“Okay, okay I got it.” Maron said rather quickly, looking like a tomato while Sabine just smirked at him. “I’ll do it when I get back, promise.”

“Have a nice day sweetie.” Sabine took another sip of her tea.

“Happy Birthday-uh I mean you too Mom!” Maron quickly closed the door, leaving for Sabine to shake her head with an amused smile.

* * *

“Your schedule Annette.” Nathalie said, handing the teen model a tablet as she by herself in the dining room.

Before she left however, Annette quickly spoke up, hope in her tone. “Hey um… Did Father get back to you about the birthday party?”

Now that she had friends, she wanted to have one and invite them over.

“Well, uh, he doesn’t think it would be a good idea.” Nathalie sounded apologetic, looking over her shoulder to see Annette’s face fall.

“Of course not.” She whispered, looking down.

“... Happy Birthday Annette.” Nathalie quickly left, but Annette leaned back sadly.

* * *

“Seriously?” Nino asked as lunch began, blowing some bubbles as Annette let him know what the answer was. “Has your Dad always been such a downer?”

To deny their own kid a birthday party? Why would any parent do that?”

“He’s always been that way.” Annette confirmed, shouldering her bag. “Well at least I tried.”

“It’s your birthday,” Nino reminded her with a shake of his head, closing the cap to his bubbles. “You should insist.”

A rather low. ‘You really should.’ Came from her bag, but thankfully Nino didn’t seem to hear Plagg.

Annette didn’t say anything, not wanting to bother her father about it after he said no already.

Doing so could make it worse after all and she was already pushing it by going to public school.

Thinking about it, Nino grinned. “How about I talk with him about it?”

Hearing that, Annette’s eyes widened in alarm. “You don’t have to.” She said knowing there was no chance for anyone to change her father’s mind.

It would be a surefire way to make it worse.

And she didn’t want that directed at one of her friends.

Maron however was peeking at them from the side of the stairs, keeping hidden as he tried to work up the courage to walk out there and give Annette her present, having put it off all day.

He couldn’t help it.

Alya, who was with him, rolled her eyes. “You do realize how creepy this is right?” She asked given how they were pretty much spying on Annette. “Just go out there and give it to her.”

She had no clue how Maron went from being mad at Annette to having a crush, something the boy still wouldn’t explain, but seeing this was making her want to facepalm repeatedly after a week of exposure to this behavior.

Sure it started off amusing and cute. But now it was just sad.

“I can do this.” Maron began to whisper, holding the present. “I can do this.”

He was trying to psych himself up, knowing he didn’t have too much time.

“You can do this.” Tikki whispered inside of his jacket, being supportive.

Standing up to make his presence known as Alya looked relieved, Maron saw Annette smiling at something she found funny that Nino said, the two talking about a video game right now and any courage he built up disappeared before he dropped back down.

“I can’t do this.” Maron whispered dejectedly.

How is it that he could stand up in front of a crowd of people in a skintight magic suit and make a speech after basically giving a super villain the finger on live TV, but this was something he couldn’t do?!

“Oh no you don’t,” Alya seemed to have enough. “You’ve been putting it off all day, you’re doing this.”

With a shove, Alya actually pushed Maron out of his hiding spot right into view of Annette and Nino who gave him a curious look as he was trying to catch his balance before righting himself, hiding the present behind his back nervously, trying not to glare at Alya who gave him a thumbs up to show encouragement.

“Uh-I-uh… Hi.” Maron said, going red with embarrassment leading for Annette to exchange a confused glance with Nino before she returned the greeting.

“Hi?”

Alya poked her head out and motioned for Maron to keep going.

Inside the school however, Chloe was watching the whole thing and frowned. “Am I seeing things?” She muttered, looking towards Sabrina. “Don’t tell me that today is Annette’s birthday!”

Taking a moment, Sabrina checked her tablet with a surprised look before grinning awkwardly at Chloe who groaned.

“Useless, do I have to do everything around here?” Chloe gave Sabrina a look. “Find her an amazing present online and buy it, it better not be late!”

She began to walk out for two reasons.

One to ensure that her best friend didn’t think she forgot her birthday.

Two to put a stop to what she was seeing.

It was so disgustingly obvious what Marontrash was doing, she’s pretty sure half the class already figured it out. There was no way she was going to let Marontrash make a move on her best friend.

“I uh wanted to uh gift you a make-,” Maron winced at that while Annette looked really confused. “I mean gift you a give I made-I mean.”

“Out of the way.” Chloe pushed him to the side, with Maron falling over.

Seeing that, Alya glared at Chloe considering how Maron despite tripping over his words was actually getting somewhere.

Chloe then began to act sweet and give Annette a friendly hug. “Happy Birthday Annette,” She said with the blonde model giving a friendly smile, though she did glance at Maron in concern given how he was pushed out of the way there.

“Was that really necessary?”

“It looked like he was bothering you,” Chloe said with a shrug, having to do that with a few people from the few times she did hang out with Annette over the years, so it wasn’t really anything new. “More than that did you ever get the present I sent to you?”

Annette blinked, never getting a present and shook her head, leaving Chloe to gasp in ‘fake’ outrage.

“What?! Oh those delivery guys, I bet it was too heavy so they had to go back and get extra help,” Chloe ‘deduced’, using every effort to make it look like she did buy a present. “Those slackers, don’t worry I’ll make sure they’ll get it to you tonight.”

“It’s fine Chloe.” Annette said shaking her head, but there was a smile on her face, showing she believed that.

While that was going on, Maron groaned at how that went.

Nothing could be more embarrassing.

“Don’t lie there, just get up and try again. Don’t let Chloe push you around!” Alya hissed only to hide as Chloe left, leaving for Annette to walk over and hold out a hand to Maron.

“You alright?”

Staring at the hand in surprise, Maron shyly accepted the hand up. “F-Fine, I ju-uh yes.”

Annette gave a nod, a bit bemused by how Maron was acting before a limousine drove up, honking their horn. “Oh I have to go, photoshoot. Bye Nino. Bye Maron!”

Maron tried to say wait, but it got stuck in his throat as she was gone and the fashion designer groaned. “Why can’t I mean what I say?” He muttered in embarrassment.

“I think you mean say what you mean.” Alya walked up, shaking her head at how it went.

“That too.”

“Not sure what you’re talking about, but I think I have some business to take care of.” Nino said confidently, putting the bubbles up with a grin. “See you two later.”

Alya just gave Nino a dry look, wondering how he didn’t notice, heck how did Annette not notice how obvious Maron was being?

Instead, she turned to Maron. “So what did you get her anyways?”

“Oh, I made her a scarf.” Maron said, glancing down at the present. “You know how I said I wanted to be a fashion designer?”

Alya gave a nod, remembering that when she and Maron got to know each other as friends this last week.

“I’ve been in a slump lately, but when it came to making this, it was like I could focus for the first time.” Maron smiled, remembering how great that felt. “I was hoping to give it to her and see what she thought, but you saw how that went.”

“Alright then we have Plan B.” Alya said, finding that a bit sweet.

Maron gave her a confused look. “We have a Plan B?”

“If you can’t talk to her then just put it in her mailbox.” Alya said like it was obvious and Maron went quiet before doing a facepalm.

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

Alya just gave a chuckle at the question as they walked off.

* * *

It took no time at all for the two to find the Agreste Mansion as Maron had his hand on what seemed to be the mailbox, trying to open it so he could put his present inside.

“It won’t budge.” Maron muttered only to see Alya standing to the side.

“How about the doorbell?” Alya asked, pointing towards it and Maron shook his head.

“No way, what if Annette answers it? The point of Plan B is to drop this off so I wouldn’t make more of a fool of myself-,” He was cut off when she rang it. “Why did you do that?!”

Immediately part of the wall opened up and a camera got in Maron’s face, making him back up a bit uncomfortably. “ _ Yes? _ ”

The voice was Nathalie who frowned in contemplation before recognizing Maron as the boy she saw Annette talking to the other week, the camera backing up enough for her to see the present and she got the idea.

“Uh well I-,” Maron looked very nervous. “I’m in Annette’s class and well-.”

“ _ Just put it in the box. _ ” Nathalie said, not wanting any time to be wasted as the box opened up.

Slowly, Maron did so as it snapped shut.

“T-Thank you.” Maron barely got that out when the camera retreated before he sighed in relief. “Think she’ll like it?”

“You signed a note right?” Alya asked only for Maron to freeze as he realized that was something he forgot to do before he groaned, placing his hands on his face. “Boy, you really need to think about these types of things.”

* * *

The intercom went off right as Nathalie sat back down after getting the present. “ _ Who was that? _ ” Gabriel asked curiously, wondering if it was either business or just another crazy fan to deal with.

“A friend of Annette’s, he was delivering a present for her birthday.” Nathalie answered easily.

Gabriel frowned at that, not sure if that was a good thing or not, he’ll reserve his judgement for now though.

“ _ Did you remember to buy her a present from me? _ ” Gabriel asked, only to see Nathalie’s eyes widen just enough for him to know the answer.

“S-Sir, you didn’t ask me to.” Nathalie sounded panicked as the video feed on the intercom showed an angry look.

“ _ Of course I did! _ ”

Not wanting to be fired over a mistake like this, Nathalie quickly said. “Yes Mr. Agreste, I’ll take care of it.”

“ _ Good. _ ”

The moment he hung up, Nathalie looked very panicked, placing both hands on her head before her eyes fell on the present that was just delivered.

Just like that she smiled, knowing that she was saved.

Hearing the doorbell ring again, Nathalie quickly composed herself and turned on the camera to see Nino. “Yes?”

“ _ Uh hi? _ ” Nino greeted with an unsure smile, as if he was having second thoughts about how to do this.

* * *

It was too late for him to back out now, waiting with Nathalie for Gabriel Agreste, Nino resisting the urge to look around in surprise from how everything was.

Yes he knew that Annette’s family was well off in terms of money, but hearing about it and seeing it were two different things.

Instead he idly messed with his hat with one hand while keeping the other clenched tight around the bottle of bubbles in his pocket, trying to go over what he wanted to say.

He can’t screw this up if he wanted to help his friend.

“He’ll be here in a minute.” Nathalie said looking at Nino with a critical eye.

“G-Got it.” Nino said right before the man himself came into the room, giving Nino his own judgemental look.

“Annette isn’t home yet.” He said knowing who this was as he did his own research on the friends that his daughter made.

So far he already knew the names of Nino, Alya and Maron after hearing from Nathalie about how they were seen interacting with Annette the most.

“Uh, I came here to see you du-sir!” Nino quickly changed what he said, not wanting to make the man mad.

“Me?” Gabriel raised a brow, finding this to be a surprise.

Nino gave a nod. “Yes sir,” He said, doing his best to be polite. “I know that you don’t want Annette to have a birthday party-.”

The moment he said that, Gabriel frowned now knowing what this was about while Nino continued.

“I’m not going to pretend I know the reason or what’s happening because it’s none of my business but it’s all she wants-.”

“You’re right it is none of your business and I already told Annette no, my decision is final.” Gabriel said, his tone warning for Nino to drop it.

“I-.” Nino was flabbergasted as he had this whole speech set up, not seeing Annette enter the building, the girl surprised to see him there. “But isn’t that a bit harsh?”

He just couldn’t see why any parent wouldn’t want their kid to have a party.

“Nino? What are you doing?” Annette asked, making Nino freeze up and turn to see her looking pretty alarmed while Gabriel was frowning in annoyance at how Nino wasn’t dropping it.

“Young man,” Gabriel said in a tone that set off alarms in Annette’s head, not even giving Nino a chance to explain. “I decide what’s best for my daughter, not you. In fact I just decided you’re not a good influence for her, leave and never come back.”

With that said he turned to leave as anger finally showed in Nino’s eyes, while Annette tried to plead for him. “Father wait, Nino was just trying to help me.”

But her words fell on deaf ears as Gabriel was gone.

“Goodbye.” Nathalie said with no hint of remorse to Nino, though she did give Annette an apologetic look.

Nino gritted his teeth and walked out, Annette quickly following after him. “Nino, wait!” Annette said, not wanting to lose her friend because of this, managing to catch him outside of the doors. “I’m so sorry about that, father is stubborn-.”

“Stubborn?!” Nino whirled around and gave her an incredulous look. “That wasn’t stubborn. How can you live with him?!”

How can anyone have a parent like that and still be as awesome as Annette?

“It’s just how he is.” Annette said looking down sadly, the act making Nino angry.

Not at her, but at him.

“It’s just best to stay out of his way.”

“Sorry Annette, but I don’t agree.” Nino spat out as he stomped off, leaving before he said anything else that he most likely wouldn’t regret.

Annette watched him leave sadly while Plagg made his presence known. “Sheesh that was awkward, think he’ll be okay?”

“I don’t know Plagg.” Annette admitted, wanting to chase him down to let him know that it was okay.

That she was used to this.

But she couldn’t at the moment, she’ll make sure to do so however when she gets back to school.

* * *

Nino huffed as he made it to the Park, trying to calm himself down.

But it was impossible, that man infuriated him.

He was the bad influence?! All he did was speak up for his friend.

If anything her father was the bad influence.

Sitting on the park bench, Nino began to blow bubbles, finding that rather soothing.

As he did so, Nino wondered why Gabriel was like that?

What could make a man act like that to their own daughter?

“None of my business.” Nino muttered bitterly before trying to find a way to fix this.

Perhaps he could throw Annette a birthday party the next day?

Actually that could work, he’ll need to call in some of the other classmates and hopefully get the teacher on his side and they could throw Annette a party during school.

It would both be getting back at the man in his own way and making his friend happy.

A win-win situation.

Why didn’t he do that to begin with?

“But daddy, please!” A kid whined, making Nino look up to see a father dragging him away from a group of kids.

“No, it’s not playtime, you have chores to do.” The father wouldn’t budge as the kid complained.

Even if, in the back of his mind, Nino knew that it was important for a parent to be firm like that, he couldn’t help but make comparisons to Gabriel and like that he was angry again.

“Adults ruin everything.” Nino muttered in hatred, letting the anger speak for him.

Yes he didn’t mean that, he was just angry but right now that was all he could focus on.

And it was enough for someone to make their move.

* * *

The window opened up in Hawk Moth’s base as he felt the negative emotions rolling off of Nino with a grin.

“Desperate to help his friend but feeling powerless,” Hawk Moth remarked, making a deduction on what was causing this from the energy he was feeling, butterflies flying around him. “How frustrating, but it won’t be long before frustration turns into anger.”

Holding out his hand, one of the butterflies landed in the palm before dark energy surrounded it.

“Fly away my Akuma and corrupt him.”

* * *

Back with Nino, he kept watching parent after parent taking the kids away, hearing their cries as they wanted to be with their friends.

He tried to ignore it, but the moment the Akuma landed on the bubble wand, those dark thoughts got worse as energy flowed through him, the purple outline of a mask covering his face.

‘ **_Hawk Moth is my name and Bubbler is now yours,_ ** ’ Hawk Moth began in a soothing tone, the dark energy clouding Nino’s subconscious as the man worked his magic. ‘ **_I will help you with those horrid adults and all you have to do in return is get something from Beetle and Chatte Noire._ ** ’

“Yes Hawk Moth.” Nino said with a dark grin as he stood up, the Akuma changing his form.

He didn’t even wait to finish changing as he flew into the air, landing on the roof in an explosion of bubbles.

Nino, now as the Bubbler had light bluish skin and red eyes surrounded by black spots, wearing a bright red, blue and yellow bodysuit with many of the parts shaped like bubbles, a red helmet with an antenna covering his head, with black gloves and boots, a bubble container on his back that housed his weapon being a giant bubble wand.

“No more adults means total freedom,” Bubbler said with a dark grin as he laughed. “This is going to be soooo sweet!”

Reaching back, he pulled out the bubble wand with it now shaped like a sword.

“Off the hook!” Bubbler exclaimed flying through the air, leaving hundreds of bubbles behind him that began to abduct every single adult, turning green in the process, making them scream as they were being carried off.

* * *

Now back home, Maron was idly poking his food with a thoughtful look while Sabine was opening the window to let some fresh air in.

He wondered if Annette got the present he made? Did she like it?

Still, Maron can’t believe he didn’t think about signing the present.

A scream made him jump before Maron whirled around to see a bubble carrying Sabine off. “Mom!” He shouted rushing towards the window, now seeing hundreds of adults being carried off to the sky, followed by a second familiar adult. “Dad!”

Tikki flew out of her hiding spot. “Hawk Moth must’ve Akumatized someone.” She said, seeing what was going on while Maron narrowed his eyes.

This just got personal.

“I knew things were being too quiet this last week.” Maron looked up, seeing that the adults were too high to see him transform. “Alright. Tikki, Spots On!”

One transformation later and Beetle stood there, running out through his roof, jumping off the building to land on the streets, seeing a bunch of kids reaching up in fear.

That was when the extra bubbles turned purple and showed the Bubbler much like how one would see News on a TV screen. “Today is your lucky day little dudes,” He began as Beetle narrowed his eyes before they widened in recognition of who this was. “The adults have taken the day off, so make the most of it. No chores, no homework, no more nagging, just fun, fun, fun, fun! This is the Bubblers gift to you!”

“Nino?” Beetle whispered, wondering what happened to make him Akumatized before he glanced at the kids and knew what he needed to do first.

So he got to work.

“Don’t worry, your parents will come back.” Beetle said, his voice making the kids look at him, seeing their eyes widen in recognition given the amount of times he and Chatte Noire have been on the News this last week. “I’ll see to it, in the meantime, you take care of them.”

He said that last part to a nearby teenager who was trying to comfort another little kid.

Seeing the teenager nod, Beetle took off, using his yo-yo to grapple away, hearing them cheer.

It still felt weird to have people cheering for him but he had to ignore that given how this will be the third time he’s going into danger to fight an Akuma.

Hopefully Chatte Noire is on her way.

* * *

Annette wiped her mouth with a napkin after a short lunch, a bored look on her face. “Wow, that was a birthday lunch to remember,” Sarcasm was evident in her tone as she got up, not even caring if someone heard her now or not. “Yay.”

Still she should head for school and check up on Nino.

Hopefully he wasn’t too mad.

Grabbing her bag and heading into the foyer, Annette stopped as she realized how quiet it sounded in her home.

Not that it was anything new, in fact she was so used to the silence that it barely bothered her.

But wouldn’t Nathalie or her bodyguard be here?

“Hello?” Annette called out, wanting to see if someone would answer.

She was tempted to ‘scream’ just to make sure if anyone was there or not but decided not to.

The last thing she needed was her father being angry again.

“How eerie.” Plagg poked out curiously. “You would think there would be some noise.”

“Not really.” Annette said before smiling as she was grateful to not be completely by herself. “Come on, we can’t be late.”

Plagg groaned, clearly disagreeing showing that he didn’t like school.

But he listened and flew back into her bag right as Annette opened the door only to be greeted by her classmates with the front yard being decorated for a party. “Surprise!” They cheered, Annette taking a step back in surprise, not sure how to take this. “Happy Birthday!”

Slowly she smiled, wondering how they pulled this off or how they convinced her father before she heard a voice. “Hey, hey, hey Birthday Girl!” Looking up, she gasped at seeing the Bubbler, obviously recognizing an Akuma when she saw it. “Guess what? Daddy’s gone. While the old cat is away the mice will play.”

Looking at Bubbler, Annette recognized him immediately. “Nino?!” She asked with uncertainty.

“It’s Bubbler now and he brought all of your homies together for one sole purpose,” Bubbler said, jumping off the bubble that kept him in the air before he landed right by a DJ booth. “To Celebrate! Let’s get this party started!”

With that said, loud music began to play as everyone began to dance, Annette however slowly stepped back inside, closing the door behind her, not seeing the sadness that everyone was showing as they danced.

“Oh man, this is bad.” Annette whispered, rushing to put her bag up. “Plagg, we need to do something.”

Plagg yawned and flew out. “Why?” He asked much to Annette’s shock. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“Why? Nino’s been Akumatized, I need to help him.”

Instead of answering, Plagg flew to land on her shoulder. “You may never get this chance again, so far Nino isn’t doing anything too bad, in fact he seems to be using this to throw you the party you wanted,” Plagg pointed out as there were far worse things Nino could’ve done, Annette’s resolve wavering a bit at hearing that. “C’mon, have a little fun while you can, once you do we’ll transform, get the Akuma, save Nino and all will be good.”

Hearing that, Annette glanced out the window to see Bubbler proudly being a DJ, looking like he was having fun and she had to say, Plagg did have a point.

This Bubbler could’ve done anything, but it seemed pretty harmless looking at what was happening.

But he was also Akumatized, shouldn’t she be trying to save her friend?

Glancing down, Annette came to a decision as she smiled. “You’re right, for once I can do what I want without father saying no.”

And it wouldn’t be as Chatte Noire, but as herself.

When will she get this chance again?

“That’s the spirit, now I expect Camembert as my compensation for the advice.” Plagg grinned widely, Annette rolling her eyes in a fond manner.

“I’ll get it for you, promise.”

* * *

It took no time for Beetle to find Bubbler, he just needed to find a place surrounded by bubbles.

Though he was surprised to see that it was coming from the Agreste Mansion with him hearing a lot of music.

Tilting his head to the side, Beetle landed on the rooftop to see everyone from class dancing while Bubbler was manning the DJ booth.

“Is he throwing a party?” Beetle asked in disbelief.

This was the last thing he expected for an Akuma to do after his two experiences with Stoneheart.

Kneeling down to hide as he surveyed the scene, Beetle glanced around, hoping that Chatte Noire would show up soon.

But so far, there hasn’t been any sign of his partner.

“Where is that cat?” Beetle muttered looking back down to see how miserable everyone dancing was.

… Well almost everyone.

Beetle found himself staring as Annette was dancing with a smile on her face.

As much as he wanted to ask why she was smiling, he only stared at her before shaking his head, telling himself to focus, missing how Annette interacted with Rose Lavillant, a girl with pixie cut blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a pink shirt adorned with pink and white stripes and a pink miniskirt.

“Hey nice party, I think, this is my first one so I don’t really know.” Annette said only to blink when Rose forced a smile and gave a thumbs up before dancing away from Annette.

Annette just blinked at the strange behavior before she slowly looked around, seeing how miserable everyone was.

It was like they didn’t want to be here-.

Seeing a flash of red as she looked around, Annette blinked at catching a glimpse of Beetle who kept looking around, as if waiting for someone-.

He was waiting for her to show up as Chatte Noire.

‘ _ How could I be so stupid. _ ’ Annette mentally berated herself after the realization kicked in.

No matter how much she wanted a party, she shouldn’t have ignored her responsibility.

“Why so glum birthday girl?” Bubbler seemed to notice how she was acting. “This is all for you, so go on be happy!”

“Nino, don’t you think this is a bit too much?” Annette pleaded, trying to reason with her friend. “I mean I know I wanted a party but-.”

“But what?” There seemed to be a dangerous edge in Bubbler’s tone, something that set off alarms in Annette’s mind.

Still she continued. “But not like this, Nino you’re not yourself-.”

“It’s Bubbler!” Nino said slamming his fist on the DJ, causing the music to screech to a halt, making the other kids slowly back away in fear. “And you’re acting real ungrateful Annette.”

Seeing that, Beetle knew that he couldn’t wait for Chatte Noire to show up.

So he quickly jumped off the roof and launched his yo-yo to wrap around Bubbler’s arm, catching him by surprise before Beetle reeled himself in, catching the Akumatized Villain off guard with a kick, using that to do a backflip, landing between him and Annette.

‘ _ Good thing he doesn’t get stronger with each hit. _ ’ Beetle thought with relief as he gave a smirk.

“Mind if I cut in?” Beetle asked, getting ready to fight.

Excitement finally coursed through the other kids at some of their first official looks at one of the Heroes of Paris before he glanced their way.

“Get to safety, all of you,” He said before looking at Annette, their eyes locking a bit as he gave a smile. “Sorry to ruin your Birthday like this.”

Huh, he didn’t seem to stutter so much as Beetle. That was strange.

Annette just stared, not saying anything in surprise by this interaction.

Bubbler however got up with a snarl. “You are so messing with my mojo!” He said in a dangerous tone. “Why do you have to be like that?!”

“Maybe it has something to do with you making the adults disappear?” Beetle suggested, still angered at what happened to his parents. “And let’s not forget your forcing the kids to stay here.”

“What’s wrong with having a little fun?!” Bubbler took out his bubble sword and sent two red bubbles flying at Beetle with the hero quickly spinning his yo-yo to make them pop.

Seeing that everyone began to take cover, Annette quickly ran into the house. “We can’t wait any longer,” She said, still kicking herself for being an idiot. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

* * *

Back outside, Beetle deflected a swipe of Bubbler’s sword, tilting his head to dodge a bubble flying past him, before leaning back to dodge again, now on the defensive while Bubbler’s swipes were getting more erratic.

A trained fighter he was not.

Good thing to, otherwise one of those swipes would’ve connected and Beetle would be pretty injured.

‘ _ Note to self, take self defense classes. _ ’ Beetle thought, jumping to avoid another hit, flipping over Bubbler who spun around with a glare. ‘ _ I need to improve my hand to hand in case I fight someone with more skill. _ ’

Still he loved these enhanced reflexes he gets as Beetle because he’s nowhere this coordinated normally.

If only he had them without the Miraculous, then he wouldn’t be so clumsy.

Doing a handspring to dodge another swipe, Beetle was unprepared when Bubbler was about to hit him while he was in the air only for a metal staff to intervene as Chatte Noire landed right next to him.

“Looks like I’m just in time.” Chatte Noire gave a wild grin that Beetle returned.

“I had it, but thanks.”

Bubbler glared at them as Hawk Moth spoke inside of his head. ‘ **_Get the Miraculouses,_ ** ’ He ordered, narrowing his eyes at seeing the heroes through his Akuma’s eyes. ‘ **_I want those Powers now!_ ** ’

Giving a shout, Bubbler launched hundreds of red bubbles at the two heroes who began to spin their weapons, popping them as they shot past, but there were too many before Bubbler snapped his fingers and all of them shot in at the same time, trapping the two in a giant bubble.

“Now hand over your Miraculous before you run out of air.” Bubbler said, making the heroes eyes widen as they realized if they didn’t hurry then the adults would run out of air soon.

“Dream on, Bubbler,” Beetle punched the bubble, trying to pop it. “As if we’d give up so easily.”

That made Bubbler grit his teeth in frustration. “Just like the adults, you both are party poopers.”

“Kids need adults.”

Bubbler busted out laughing as if Beetle told the funniest joke. “Wrong, kids need freedom, they need fun. Let loose and live it up,” He said, shaking his head at how these two didn’t get it. “Adults are controlling and bossy.”

Hearing that, Chatte Noire gained an idea on what made Nino be Akumatized and guilt flowed through her.

“Adults keep kids safe,” Beetle rebuked, his mind flashing to all the times his parents protected him growing up. “They care for and protect them.”

“Most adults do.” Chatte Noire whispered quietly, wishing her Dad was one of them, but she focused. “You need to bring them back.”

“You know what? If you like the adults so much, you can go be with them.” Bubbler decided, not wanting to speak to them anymore, so he ran forward and kicked their bubble, sending them into the air as the hiding kids gasped in fear.

‘ **_What are you doing?!_ ** ’ Hawk Moth shouted in his head. ‘ **_You’re supposed to seize their Miraculous!_ ** ’

“Chillax Hawk Moth Dude, I can get them when they run out of air.” Bubbler didn’t sound too bothered by that, or by the fact that he was being calm about suffocating two people.

* * *

“No dice, not even my claws can pop this bubble.” Chatte Noire then kicked it, only for nothing to work as they were flying past the Eiffel Tower.

“If that’s the case then use your Cataclysm.” Beetle suggested knowing they needed to hurry.

Who knows how much air the adults had and he was trying not to imagine his parents suffocating.

They were already under a time limit, so it didn’t matter if they used their powers or not.

“Couldn’t you have said that five hundred feet ago?” Chatte Noire asked curiously, preparing to use it.

“Are you going to do it or are we just going to be stuck together in this bubble forever?” Beetle asked, some annoyance before seeing Chatte actually think about it with a smirk.

That reminded him of how she flirted with him after that mess with Stoneheart and had a feeling she was pretty much doing the same thing right now.

Looking away, he didn’t miss how Chatte Noire laughed and got ready. “Cataclysm!”

One touch of the bubble later and it popped with them now skydiving through the air from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

“This is the second time I’m skydiving around here,” Beetle shook his head, glancing over at Chatte Noire. “Should we see if you can land on your feet this time?”

“Hard pass.” Chatte Noire returned, now passing the tower. “I have a feline that would be quite a catastrophe.”

“A-Are you making cat puns-,” Beetle asked in disbelief before focusing. “Never mind, throw your staff at the tower, I have an idea.”

Considering the last two ideas, Chatte Noire listened with no hesitation, watching as the staff lodged into the tower before Beetle grabbed her arm.

“Hang on!”

With that said, he threw the yo-yo to where it wrapped around the staff, allowing for them to swing a few feet off the ground to where they could land safely, rolling with the momentum before Beetle pulled on the yo-yo, dislodging the staff so he could toss it back to Chatte Noire.

“Good thing cats aren’t scared of heights.” Chatte Noire breathed out, relieved to be on the ground right before a beeping in her ring reminded them of the time limit.

“We need to stop Bubbler, I think the Akuma is in his sword.” Beetle theorized given how it was the only item that Bubbler had on him. “We get that and the adults are saved.”

“Then let’s hurry.”

* * *

“What is this?!” Bubbler angrily demanded, seeing that everyone was trying to hide instead of coming out to party. “This is a party, are you all really being such downers?!”

“Sorry to burst your bubble.” Beetle’s voice made him spin around in surprise, not expecting to see the heroes back so soon. “But the party is over.”

“Oh so I can’t do cat puns, but you do bubble ones.” Chatte Noire accused with a smirk, leaving for Beetle to wince as that was actually unintentional.

“I never said you couldn’t-not important.”

“Beetle! Chatte Noire!” Alya cheered, having her phone out to record everything that happened while the other teenagers cheered at seeing the heroes back.

Those cheers were doing nothing but pissing Bubbler off however.

“You know what?! Fine! I did all of this to give my bud the party she wanted and this is how you all react?!” Bubbler shouted, gripping his weapon. “If all of you are going to be such haters then join the adults!”

With another shout, Bubbler swung his weapon, making bubbles fly at the teenagers, forcing them to go into the sky much to the hero's horror.

“Now for you two.” Bubbler turned towards Beetle and Chatte Noire who got ready, another beeping reminding them that they needed to be quick. “Come on.”

He took off towards the roofs with both heroes in hot pursuit, chasing him towards the Eiffel Tower.

“Okay why do we keep coming back here?” Beetle couldn’t help but ask given this was the third time in a week that they were here.

Twice today.

“At least the view is nice.” Chatte Noire pointed out, the two chasing after him, dodging bubbles that exploded. “I knew bubbles could sting if they get in your eyes but bubble grenades?!”

“You’re telling me, who knew something like this could be so dangerous.” Beetle was really surprised by how difficult this Akuma was.

Another beep showed they had two minutes. “I’m going to switch back soon, hurry!” Chatte Noire exclaimed, Beetle giving a nod as he got ready and used his power.

“Lucky Charm!”

Much to his surprise, a ladybug colored wrench appeared with him nearly falling over after catching the rather large tool.

“Your… Plumbing skills are going to help us out?” Chatte Noire asked not getting it.

“I’m pretty sure they don’t come in this color.” Beetle mused in confusion, the two jumping back from another bubble grenade.

But the Lucky Charm gave him this, so there has to be a reason.

It gave him the inflatable suit in their first fight against Stoneheart and the Parachute in the second fight. Both were invaluable in finishing the fight.

So it stands to reason that there’s a way to win with this.

Eyes scanning the area, Beetle’s eyes fell upon a nearby air vent with a pipe that held a big screw connecting them

A screw that the wrench could work on.

“I got it, Chatte get ready!” Beetle took off running towards it while Chat Noir took a moment to give him a curious look, leaning back to dodge a barrage of explosive bubbles.

“Better hurry.” Chatte Noire called, checking her ring to see the second to last paw print blinking.

She was cutting it really close here.

“Come on at least aim, even a stormtrooper has better accuracy.” Chatte Noire taunted to keep Bubbler focused on her and he was gritting his teeth in anger, getting worse as she kept dodging.

Making it to the steam vent, Beetle slammed the wrench on the screw and pulled, loosening it enough for the pipe to fly around uncontrollably.

“Now!”

Eyes widening in understanding, Chatte Noire grinned and leapt over another barrage of bubbles, grabbing the pipe and aiming it at Bubbler, forcing the bubbles he was firing away much to his anger.

Seeing Bubbler distracted, Beetle knew he had one shot as he spun the yo-yo before throwing it, knocking the weapon out of Bubbler's hands and wrapping it around the hilt.

“Got it!” Beetle cheered, pulling it back, wasting no time to snap it over his knee.

The second the Akuma flew out, Beetle opened the yo-yo and captured it, purifying the Akuma rather easily, not wanting to risk it escaping before throwing the wrench up to activate the other part of his power.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

… He feels like he’s a part of an anime when he shouts like that, but it didn’t matter as he watched the wrench break apart and fly around, gathering the bubbles that held the hostages and safely transporting them to the ground before they could pop.

Though with what happened, Beetle wouldn’t be surprised if anyone had a newfound fear of bubbles in the future.

Bubbler fell to his knees in despair, changing back to a very perplexed Nino after all of that was over.

“What happened? Where am I?” Nino asked, looking around in confusion, stopping when he saw the two heroes in front of him as they fist bumped.

“Pound it!”

Another beep made Chatte Noire nervous as she looked at her ring to see one more paw print showing she only had a minute left.

“Get going, wouldn’t want your identity to be revealed.” Beetle said with a grin. “I’ll help the kid down.”

Chatte Noire gave a nod, knowing she had no time for anything else. “See you around my prince.” She said, giving a playful wink before taking off, not missing Beetle’s face when she said that.

“Wai-wha-what did you just call me?!” Beetle asked, not receiving an answer as Chatte Noire pole vaulted away. “Sometimes I don’t get that cat.”

Rubbing the back of his head as his earrings beeped showing he had four minutes, Beetle walked over and helped Nino up.

“Let’s get you off of here.” Beetle offered while Nino was rather subdued.

“I was Akumatized wasn’t I?” Nino asked quietly, remembering how Ivan described it.

Not wanting to lie, Beetle gave a nod.

“Damn it, how bad was it?”

“Let’s just say you throw some crazy parties, but next time just send invites.” Beetle quipped with Nino looking rather embarrassed. “Now come on, your friends are probably worried for you.”

* * *

The rest of school was cancelled due to the Akuma attack as the News was reporting what they could about the fight between Beetle, Chatte Noire and the Bubbler, the only footage of the fight however was from the Beetleblog and the blurry videos some other teens managed to catch of the fight before it ended at the Eiffel Tower.

“I think I’m starting to get used to this.” Maron said, watching the news in his room. “At least Bubbler wasn’t as terrifying as Stoneheart.”

Then again Stoneheart didn’t make anything explode, so they were both terrifying in their own ways.

“You did great Maron,” Tikki said from the small plate of cookies that Maron brought up. “Not only did you and Chatte Noire deal with the Akuma but you kept everyone safe too.”

Maron felt embarrassed by the praise, rubbing the back of his head before his phone buzzed and he checked it only to blink as he saw it was an unknown number before he saw the message saying it was Nino.

A bit perplexed, Maron typed back, asking how he got this number.

The only answer came with the name Alya making Maron shake his head right before Nino continued and the message made Maron’s eyes widen.

Apparently Nino wants to still throw Annette a party, but this time he got the whole class in on it through better means rather than kidnapping them and even talked to Miss Bustier about having it in class during lunch tomorrow.

All they were missing was a cake.

Just like that, Maron got the idea considering he lived in a bakery and grinned. “Mom! Dad!”

* * *

Nathalie looked exhausted as she typed on her computer, trying to make up for lost time due to how being kidnapped and placed in a bubble prevented her from being finished with work for the day.

The fact that she could think that despite her serious demeanor proved that her life was starting to get insane.

“ _ Nathalie, _ ” Gabriel’s voice made her tense before she turned on the intercom. “ _ Did my daughter like her gift? _ ”

Internally panicking, Nathalie quickly spoke. “I was about to check right away sir.”

“ _ Good. _ ”

Once he disconnected, Nathalie looked towards the present that the boy from earlier left and held it up.

Moments later she found Annette in the dining room, seeing the young girl looking dejected as she ate her dinner before Nathalie held the present out. “A birthday present from your father.”

Hearing that, a smile made its way across Annette’s face as she accepted the present with a grateful look.

After everything she was just happy to hear that her father cared enough to get her a present. “Thank you,” She whispered before forcing herself to speak up. “I mean, please say thank you to father.”

Nathalie gave a curt nod, doing everything to hide the relief she felt as she walked off.

If there was any guilt she felt in lying about where that present came from, it disappeared when she saw how happy Annette was.

“Huh, so he got you a present?” Plagg asked once Nathalie was out of sight, watching as Annette began to open it.

“I know right?” Annette asked, sounding happy before seeing what it was.

It was a beautiful sky blue scarf, obviously handmade.

“Whoa.” Annette picked the scarf up, looking it down.

This was amazing.

Plagg didn’t seem impressed.

“What? No cheese? Lame.”

Annette playfully rolled her eyes at her Kwami and put it on.

“Thank you father.” Annette whispered, loving the gift.

* * *

“What do you mean not for a week?!” Chloe shouted at Sabrina as school started up the very next day. “They were supposed to deliver it yesterday!”

“Um,” Sabrina sounded scared, taking a step back from her friend. “There were no adults around yesterday to deliver it.”

It wasn’t really their fault considering the mess with the Bubbler and all.

“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” Chloe said, shaking her head in disbelief, obviously disagreeing with that sentiment.

Alya and Maron who were nearby snickered. “Serves her right.”

Maron gave a nod of agreement, not having any pity for the girl considering what happened the other day.

“So the party is during lunch right?” Maron asked to make sure, Alya giving a nod of agreement. “Man how did Nino manage to convince everyone after yesterday?”

Heck, how did he convince the teacher?

“Nino wanted to make up for that and he thinks he ruined Annette’s birthday, so he wants to try again.” Alya answered, remembering how Nino sounded very apologetic when he was faced with everyone after Beetle left.

Out of everyone in their class, Ivan stood by him immediately due to how he knew what it was like to be Akumatized so the two boys were practically kindred spirits now.

“After a bit, everyone agreed to give it a second try, Rose helped by saying that she heard Annette say that she’s never been to a party before.”

Maron felt bad for Annette after hearing that.

Speaking of which, they stopped talking when they saw the limo that dropped Annette off, stop by and the girl came out, wearing the scarf.

The sight nearly made Maron squeal as a smile spread across his face. “She’s wearing my scarf.”

That was proof that she liked it.

Alya chuckled at that, looking at the scarf, seeing that it looked pretty good. “Come on, are you going to tell her you’re the one who made it?”

The question actually made Maron tense up given how he couldn’t speak a word to the girl with the exception of when he was Beetle.

“Come on,” Alya saw the hesitation. “I’ll help you out.”

Feeling relief at that, Maron gave a nod as they approached Annette who was speaking to Nino.

“Oh hey guys.” Annette said, waving at the two.

“Nice scarf Annette,” Alya said, giving a sly grin as if she knew something. “Off the chain.”

“Yeah, can you believe it? Nathalie said it was from my father,” The minute Annette said that, Maron froze up, disbelief on his face at what he was hearing. “It’s awesome.”

“Wow, I guess even he can surprise you.” Nino said, no doubt remembering his talk with the man.

As they spoke, Maron was quiet, uncertainty going through his head. He wanted to speak up, to tell Annette that he made it.

But she looked so happy.

“Now wait just a-.” Alya looked rather peeved but Maron spoke up.

“T-That’s great,” He said, forcing a smile on his face, actually going along with it much to Alya’s surprise. “It looks amazing.”

“Thanks Maron.” Annette beamed with happiness.

The bell rang, signaling the four that they needed to head to class.

Alya however hung back as both Annette and Nino rushed on ahead. “Aren’t you going to tell her you made that?” She asked in disbelief.

She couldn’t believe the gall of this Nathalie to do something like that, especially after hearing how much work that Maron put into making that scarf.

“Did you see how happy she was?” Maron asked, the fake smile dropping off his face. “That scarf means a lot to her because she thinks it came from her father.”

“But it didn’t, it came from you.” Alya pointed out, not seeing where he was getting at.

“I know that and you know that, Annette doesn’t know and-,” Maron took a deep breath to calm down. “I don’t want to take that from her, she doesn’t need to know it came from me. As long as she’s happy, I am.”

Yes it hurt, but he can deal with it, just to keep that smile on her face.

Even if it was through a lie.

Maron was caught off guard when Alya threw an arm around his shoulder to give him a small friendly hug. “You are too nice for your own good, you know that?” She asked, finding his reasons sweet.

“Uh thanks?”

* * *

“Alright just put that here and bring the drinks there.” Nino was directing where to put the stuff for Annette’s surprise late birthday party, Kim and Ivan actually working together to move the table while Rose carried a punch bowl, Juleka behind her with the drinks.

“Nino, it doesn’t have to be completely perfect, I think Annette will love this party regardless.” Alya told him, leaving for the former ‘Bubbler’ to give a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, I just want to make up for yesterday.” Nino apologized, before looking back to see Maron wheeling in a cake that he quickly ran home to get considering how the bakery was literally across the street from school. “Looks amazing Maron.”

“Thanks.” Maron said as even if it was a bit last minute, he managed to convince his Dad to make it, though Maron helped out a bit too.

They went with a rather unique cake considering how Annette was a teen model and it was a rather tall one, looking like an actual fur coat made completely out of chocolate, white pearl frosting around where the neckline was and the cuffs of the sleeve had white frosting too.

Enough for everyone to have seconds should they want to.

“Sorry if it’s a rushed job, we wanted to take our time with it but-.” Maron went to say only for Alya to shake her head.

“If that’s a rushed job, I want to see one where you take your time.”

Nino agreed as a simple cake would’ve been fine, but this was pretty sweet.

Looking embarrassed, Maron gave an appreciative smile. “How long before Miss Bustier brings Annette back in?” He asked as they had to ask the teacher to take the girl out to talk to her while they set up.

“Any second.” Nino said, looking everything over.

He also gave Chloe a warning look, not sure if she would do anything to ruin this or not leaving for her to scoff and look away.

If it was anyone else she would’ve, but she didn’t want to ruin this for her friend.

Plus if she was a part of this, it would disguise how late the present will be.

Now that everything was set up, there was some excitement with everyone wanting to have some fun, though there were some… Reservations after the other day, but they were hiding it pretty well.

It helped that none of them were kidnapped this time for a party.

Eventually the door opened as Annette walked in, looking at her bag as if she was trying to say something, only to give a start when everyone shouted ‘Surprise!’

Eyes wide, Annette looked around the room in shock, not expecting this at all.

“W-What’s going on?” Annette asked, looking at everyone who was in the room.

“Girl, it’s a surprise party for you.” Alya stated, like it was obvious before lightly elbowing Nino. “Nino here set it all up.”

“Well I had a lot of help from everyone.” Nino said, smiling at Annette before wincing. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“Nino it’s alright you weren’t yourself.” Annette waved off the apology. “I’m just glad you’re back to normal.”

“It was still uncool of me, that’s why I wanted to do this right and you deserve to have a party dude, even if it’s not on your birthday like you hoped.”

He meant it too, he really wanted to help his friend have a killer party, right now he didn’t care what Gabriel said about him. All that mattered was doing something that made his friend happy.

“Nino, thank you.” Annette said gratefully as her friend smiled and got back into his normal mood.

“Alright let’s get this party started.” Nino declared given how they only had a short amount of time before lunch ended.

So they needed to get started.

Maron hung back as a lot of the students mingled together.

Rose hung out with Juleka and Alix, Ivan was with Mylene for obvious reasons.

Nathaniel was in the back drawing like usual, looking like he was sketching the room.

Chloe was talking to Sabrina while Kim was nearby for some odd reason, seemingly thinking about something, though Maron was unsure of what that was about while Nino was manning the music right now, on a low enough volume that no one would get in trouble.

Alya was helping him out.

“Aren’t you going to mingle?” Tikki asked, popping her head out of his jacket, but keeping hidden enough that no one would see her.

“I’m fine where I am.” Maron said, opening up his notebook where he had a few designs, though he came across the scarf and stopped.

Tikki saw that and a look of sympathy appeared on her face. “If you want to talk about it, you know I’ll listen.” She offered, earning an appreciative smile.

“Thanks-.”

“Hey Maron.” Hearing Annette’s voice, Maron quickly snapped the book shut to avoid the girl seeing the drawing of the scarf.

“Oh uh-hi.” Maron squeaked out, seeing his crush approaching him. “What do I can-I mean Can you-uh-.”

He was trying to say what can I do for you , but even that was being messed up.

Annette looked perplexed, wondering why Maron always seemed to act like this, but she shook that off for now.

“Alya told me you brought the cake, it’s amazing.”

Looking past Annette, Maron saw Alya giving a thumbs up.

“T-T-Thank you.” Maron stuttered out, red in the face.

After the disappointment of what happened with the scarf, it was nice that Annette thought the cake was great.

It more then made up for it.

“My Dad made it,” Maron looked away, actually managing to get that out. “We own the bakery across the street so it was no problem.”

“Wait you guys owned a bakery?” Annette sounded amazed at hearing that.

“Not just that, that place is known as one of the best Bakeries in Paris.” Alya butted in, helping her friend out, placing a hand on Maron’s shoulder. “Just about everyone in class stops by there every now and then.”

“I-It’s not that special.” Maron tried to deny, not wanting to sound like he was bragging around Annette.

“Boy you’re crazy, I’ve been there a few days ago and the food there is mouth watering, trust me Annette you would love the place.”

“I’ll have to visit sometime.” Annette said, knowing that she would have to do it without her Dad knowing given her current occupation.

Smiling shyly, Maron gave a nod. “S-S-Sure.”

**_To be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ends the Bubbler episode, hopefully I added enough original parts to the chapter to keep things interesting. I figured it would be in character for Nino to make a second attempt to throw a party to make up for his first attempt at Bubbler and let’s be honest Adrien in canon deserved one after everything he goes through. The cake took a bit to think up, but hopefully it was a good enough description for the visual.
> 
> I also tried to keep everyone in character as much as I could while also making some changes.
> 
> One of the changes was the fact that Maron didn’t use his Lucky Charm to change the song while Marinette did.
> 
> The reason being was this time Chloe wasn’t trying to kiss Annette like how she tried to do with Adrien. That’s one of the many changes that come from the two characters trading genders and more is to come.
> 
> Speaking of Chloe, I’ll admit it’s hard to find a balance from how she is pretty much a jerk to everyone but she does have her nice moments in between, much more so to those she considers friends like with Annette given how long they’ve known each other. Enough to where she would interfere if she thought someone wasn't good enough for Annette, which she applies to Maron which was why she interfered there.
> 
> Then we have the scarf and don’t worry Annette will figure out Maron made it in a later chapter, I have a plan for how and when, unlike the episodes I’m weaving the story together and will have references to past events in later chapters.
> 
> And despite his cold demeanor Gabriel does care for Adrien in canon, which I showed here by having him be aware who Annette interacted with on a daily basis. If he didn't care he wouldn't force Akumas to save Adrien in Canon whenever he was in danger. Doesn't excuse him but he does care.


	4. Mr. Pigeon

Maron was very excited in school.

It’s been a few days since the incident with the Bubbler and things have been pretty normal for a lot of people despite the fear of Hawk Moth creating another Akuma.

But that was neither here nor there at the moment.

Instead, Maron listened with rapt attention as Mr. Damocles was addressing the class about a fashion contest that was going on with many in the school entering.

And he knew for a fact that he would enter and try to win, no matter what.

“You only have one day to work on your fashion piece,” Mr. Damocles explained as while Maron was listening, some other students were doing their own thing. “It must be in your own design and in ten hours your fittest presentation will be judged by none other than the Great Fashion Designer himself, Gabriel Agreste.”

Hearing that caused some different opinions.

Annette looked rather concerned while Nino huffed and narrowed his eyes, remembering his meeting with the man.

Chloe snickered, knowing how hard it was to get that man to like a design as she shot Maron a glare, knowing without a doubt that he would enter.

Maron however was ecstatic.

His hero in the fashion world was the judge?

He can’t screw this up, if he did this right then he would make a great impact and his career choice would be set.

A lot was riding on this.

“More than that, the winning design will be in the next photoshoot involving his daughter Annette Agreste,” Mr. Damocles said, gesturing to the girl who faked a smile despite not expecting that herself. “And the theme of this year is Derby Hats.”

Maron swore he heard a record screech happen along with glass shattering or maybe that was just him trying to come to terms with what he just heard.

D-Derby Hats?!

* * *

The second class ended, Maron was flipping through his design book while Alya was typing on her blog, both of them on a park bench. “I don’t have a design for Derby Hats!” He shouted with frustration.

“Is it really such a big deal?” Alya asked with a curious look.

She’s seen his designs, so she was certain Maron would come up with one easily.

“Big deal?!” Maron gave her a look asking if she was crazy. “I’ve got top hats, caps, two horn hats! Need a beret? I’m your guy. A Sombrero? No Problemo! A Derby?! This is a Fashion Emergency!”

Seriously, out of all the designs one could use it had to be the one type of hat he didn’t have a design for?!

Brow raised, Alya reached for the book and flipped through it, seeing a ton of different designs.

“And this is Gabriel Agreste, he is notorious for being a harsh critique and every fashion designer takes his critiques seriously, if I get a bad one my dream of being a fashion designer will be over before it even begins!” Maron exclaimed, showing how much this meant to him before hesitating. “And Annette would model with whatever hat won.”

He was friends with Annette, wouldn’t that be using their friendship if he did that? As awesome as it would be to see his own design being used in a photoshoot, he didn’t want to seem like he was using their friendship if he did win.

Perhaps he shouldn’t enter.

“Hey!” Speak of the devil and she shall appear, Maron jumped back as Annette walked up to them, doing a flip over the bench in surprise, his Beetle personality shining through somehow. “Wow Alya those are some great designs.”

It would seem she thought the sketchbook belonged to Alya who gave a laugh.

“Thanks but I can’t take the credit, this belongs to Maron.” She gestured to the boy who quickly popped his head up from behind the bench.

“I’m okay.” He said a bit dazed considering he did hit his head when he flipped over the bench in his panic.

“Off the chain, right?” Alya asked as she flipped through the book with Annette seeing the designs, blinking when she saw a scarf in there before the paper flipped.

Wait was that-?

“Uh I wouldn’t say off the chain.” Maron quickly took the sketchbook back, feeling embarrassed. “I just like making designs, it’s fun.”

“He wants to enter but he’s worried about his chances at winning.” Alya explained despite how Maron was trying to get her to stop.

“Hey don’t be,” Annette said with a friendly smile, placing the picture of the scarf in the back of her mind for the moment. “With designs like those you have a great chance at winning.”

“R-Really?” Maron asked, not expecting that, his throat dry at getting words of encouragement from his crush. “T-Thanks I like designs that uh-go-uh.”

Looking from her to Alya, he saw a thumbs up from her but his nerves made him misinterpret that.

“Go upwards!”

He knew it sounded stupid the second it came out of his mouth before he saw Annette’s really confused face, Alya crossing her hands in an ‘x’ fashion, trying to get him to stop.

“I mean while stopping-uh,” Alya did a face palm as the confusion became more apparent on Annette’s face. “Sorry, I’ve never entered a contest like this before.”

Thankfully Annette seemed to think that was the reason why Maron was acting so nervous and she smiled in encouragement.

“You’ll do fine, maybe I’ll be wearing your derby hat at the next photoshoot?” Annette suggested showing that she thought his designs were good enough to win before she walked off. “Good luck.”

“She liked my designs.” Maron had a dreamy expression before Alya shook her head.

“Boy you really need to get a grip on yourself, it’s amazing she hasn’t noticed your crush yet.” Alya said, breaking Maron out of his daydream. “But she thought your design was good enough to win.”

“She did… Okay I can do this.” Maron was determined to win now.

Unknown to them, Chloe and Sabrina overheard the whole exchange.

“Did you hear how impressed Annette was with Maron’s design?” Sabrina began to ask only for Chloe to cut her off.

“Of course I heard, Marontrash, win the contest? As if!” Chloe scoffed with a shake of her head.

She was still sore about what Maron said to her at the beginning of school and how he spoke to her after the Stoneheart incident was done with.

So now was the time for some payback.

“When Annette see’s my design, she’ll convince her father to make me the winner.”

And shatter Maron’s dream, making him sorry that he did stand up to her.

“I’m sure she will, Chloe! You’re a born champion,” Sabrina agreed with a smile. “Your design will blow everyone’s out of the water!”

Chloe smirked, crossing her arms while Maron placed his sketchbook in his bag. “Yes it will, as soon as I get my hands on that book.”

Back with Alya and Maron, the former checked her phone. “Oh you have nine hours left.”

Eyes widening, Maron knew he had to hurry. “Alright, I’m off to my secret garden of inspiration.” He said, trying to sound dramatic as he was backing up, not seeing Alya trying to tell him something. “See you-oof!”

He turned around only to run into the wall that Alya was trying to warn him about.

Backing up again, now holding his nose in pain, Maron ran off. “I’m okay!”

Alya shook her head at what she saw, chuckling a bit.

Never a dull moment with that boy around, that’s for sure.

* * *

“The time has come to find my next victim,” Hawk Moth mused, his window opening up as he felt many different emotions, nervous, happiness, fear. “And prey upon Beetle and Chatte Noire. Soon their Miraculous will be mine.”

But the last two have failed, so he needed to do something different.

Something neither of them would expect.

* * *

Maron sat down at the Trocadero where one could see the Eiffel Tower off in the distance across the water.

Lightly chewing on the eraser of his pencil, Maron began to draw, only to immediately tear the design out. “Man it’s hard to think under pressure.”

Especially under a time limit like this.

Soft laughter came from Tikki who had her head poking out from his jacket, taking care to keep out of sight of anyone watching as she looked at the book. “Maron you’ve come up with creative plans to take Akumas down under pressure with a five minute time limit,” She reminded him playfully. “I think designing a hat is a piece of cake in comparison.”

That made Maron smile as she had a point.

Here he has hours to come up with something.

But more than that he needed to make it too.

That meant he couldn’t afford any redo’s like he did with Annette’s scarf.

“Cake? Perhaps a cake themed hat?” Maron mused as it would be unique. “Stylish and tasty.”

Though it was probably too silly for Gabriel to like, he’ll jot it down for a later project when he has time.

If anything his Dad might like the design.

Minutes later and there were multiple balls of paper near Maron that he deposited in his bag to avoid littering as he was still having trouble.

None of the designs were really speaking to him.

Checking the time, Maron saw he spent at least a half hour doing this and knew he was running short on time.

“Come on, think.” Maron muttered, trying to think of what would work.

What type of hat would catch Gabriel Agreste’s attention and help him win?

“Maybe I should go back to an earlier design and adapt it to the derby hat?” Maron flipped the book pages to some of the other hat designs he had.

He could take one of his top hat designs and change it enough.

But would it be enough?

Looking up to think a bit, Maron was greeted with quite a strange sight.

It was a man with light brown hair and brown eyes walking like a pigeon, his head bobbing back and forth with each step before he sat down on a bench that was across from the teen, pulling out a bird call from his gray suit.

The second he blew into it, several birds surrounded him, one flying past Maron who had to duck to avoid having it fly into him, only for the man to take out a brown bag and toss it to the birds with a smile.

“Happy day, happy day,” The man said with a smile, one of the birds landing on his knee, showing how used to him they were. “Well hello Edgar.”

“Huh?” Maron didn’t really see an issue with what was going on.

Sure he knew that feeding the pigeons was illegal, but the man wasn’t really hurting anyone and it was a bit adorable really given how the pigeons seemed to act with the man before he saw Officer Roger approaching the man and Maron tensed, knowing what was coming.

Sabrina’s Dad was very dedicated to his job, it made him an amazing Police Officer, but he was also very strict even with the most minor offences.

So this wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Scram you winged rats!” Officer Roger waved the pigeons away, startling the man feeding them. “How many times do you need to be told Mr. Ramier?  _ NO! FEEDING! THE! PIGEONS! _ ”

He emphasized each word with Xavier Ramier wincing at the sheer volume of his tone before Rogers confiscated the bag of food.

“It’s strictly forbidden, if you feed them they’ll leave their waste everywhere!”

“B-But who’ll feed them? They need food.” Xavier pleaded despite what he was told.

Officer Rogers wasn’t having any of it. “All the Park Keepers know about you Mr. Ramier, you’re banned from every park in Paris,” Rogers said with Xavier’s shoulders dropping. “Now leave here before I call the authorities-oh wait I am the authorities.  _ GET OUT! _ ”

Maron frowned, seeing the dejected look on the guy’s face while Officer Rogers crossed his arms and watched the man leave.

That was pretty harsh.

“Sheesh, I kind of feel bad for him.”

“What a unique character,” Tikki mused, having seen the whole thing. “He was like a human bird.”

Hearing that, Maron gave a snort. “You’re telling me, he even bobbed his head like one when he walked.”

Seriously, who did that?

“All he was missing was a feather jacket to complete the look.”

Maron gave a nod of agreement, stopping when that was said.

Feather jacket-?

What if he made a feather bowler hat?

He doesn’t have any bird themed designs.

So with a grin he began to sketch one out. “Nice idea Tikki.” He said, finding it easy to imagine.

* * *

Xavier Ramier eventually found himself by the lake, sitting on a park bench as birds flew around him.

“Hey there.” He said with a sad smile. “Sorry, but I don’t have any food on me.”

He swore he could see the pigeons look saddened by that and his heart ached for them.

Xavier knew he was seen as weird by other people, it’s something that’s been going on for years. Everyone always judged him for how he walks, how he acts, no matter what he tried differently.

It’s something he got used to, but these birds never judged him like how everyone else did.

In fact, they seem to adore him, always flying by whenever he is around, sometimes he wakes up to see a Pigeon nest outside his bedroom window.

So he tried to do what he could for them, yet all that got him was scorn and being treated like an annoyance.

With a heavy sigh, Xavier leaned back, glancing at the sky.

* * *

“Poor Mr. Ramier,” Hawk Moth chuckled darkly, feeling the negative emotion while he gazed out his window with a smirk. “The feeling of injustice, what a wonderful feeling.”

It makes him easy prey for his Akuma.

Focusing once more as his Akuma was created, Hawk Moth watched it fly off. “Fly away and corrupt him.”

* * *

Xavier was so caught up in his sadness that he didn’t see the Akuma land on his bird call, infecting it as the purple mask appeared on his face, a very uncharacteristic dark look following a split second later.

“ **_Mr. Pigeon, I am Hawk Moth,_ ** ” A soothing voice whispered in his mind. “ **_Neither the Police Officers or the Park Keepers should stop you from taking care of your friends, why what would the Pigeons be without you?_ ** ”

Hearing that made Xavier narrow his eyes.

“ **_I can give you the power to right those wrongs, to ensure that your Pigeons never go hungry again and all that I ask in return are the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous._ ** ” Hawk Moth continued, a dark grin on his end as his powers were amplifying the negative emotions on his next victim. “ **_Do we have a deal?_ ** ”

“Yes Hawk Moth.” Xavier said with no hesitation, dark energy surrounding him as he changed into Mr. Pigeon who was more noticeably muscular than he usually was.

He now wore a full skin tight bodysuit with black forearms, waist and thighs, a gray belly and chest and pink on his head and shins.

Giving a laugh, Mr. Pigeon began to make bird noises while flapping his arms as if they were wings before running off, jumping into the air every few steps.

Hawk Moth however stared for a few seconds, seeing what this one was doing and for the first time he was at a loss on what he just created.

* * *

Chloe frowned as she has been watching Maron sketch inside of his book for quite awhile, signaling to Sabrina to get ready given how he wasn’t tearing this one out like the others.

Sabrina gave a nod and got as close as she could without being seen, hiding behind some pillars before zooming in on her phone while Maron held up the finished drawing of the hat, taking a picture of it.

“All done.” Maron said with a grin, happy to have a design that he liked.

“Now that’s a derby.” Tikki complimented, none of them seeing Sabrina quickly leaving after her job was finished. “You’ll take first place for sure.”

“Thanks Tikki, but the easy part is done.” Maron said, closing the book to place in his backpack. “The hard part is making it and I have eight hours now.”

Still that should be plenty of time, especially since all of the materials were inside of his room.

“We’re so awesome.” Sabrina made it back to Chloe as the blonde was checking her nails.

“We?” Chloe asked, snatching the phone while Sabrina winced with a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, you’re so awesome Chloe,” Sabrina quickly changed her tune while Chloe looked at the drawing. “When are we-I mean you going to make that?”

“And ruin these nails? Of course not, Daddy will pay someone to do it.” Chloe scoffed, though she was using that to hide her surprise at how well done the drawing was.

Even if the whole bird theme wasn’t her thing.

Sabrina tilted her head before shrugging as she followed after Chloe.

* * *

Once Maron was back home, it took him no time at all to get started on the derby hat.

And once he got started he kept going, not thinking of the time limit or about how if he won that Annette would be wearing it.

No, instead he kept his focus, carefully measuring out how much of each material to use, looking at the sketch every few seconds to make sure he wasn’t making a mistake.

Though he did end up sticking himself at one point with the needle because of that, making him cry out as he shook his hand, checking to see if he drew any blood by mistake, not wanting it to get on the hat.

But that didn’t deter him.

Tikki watched him curiously, thinking back to when he did the scarf, how he kept starting over.

Yet here he was going without making a mistake and she couldn’t help but smile at how happy he seemed.

It was nice to see him so confident about something.

He was always so down about himself for being clumsy or being a mess around Annette, even as Beetle he admitted that his confidence there was faked.

Yet here nothing about this was faked. He looked genuinely happy.

Around one in the afternoon, Maron was just about finished, looking it over with a critical eye as something felt off.

Raising a brow, he glanced at the sketch only for his eyes to widen at what was missing and he looked around his desk, in the drawers and even beneath it, confusing Tikki.

“What are you looking for?” Tikki asked curiously only for Maron to hit his head on the desk when he tried to get up.

“Ow, I forgot the feather!” Maron exclaimed in a panic. “It has to have a feather to be complete.”

How could he forget to grab one when he was at the Trocadero?!

“Maron, it’s fine you still have plenty of time to get one.” Tikki reassured him, eliciting for the teen to take a deep breath.

“You’re right, plenty of time.”

No need to make too big of a deal out of this.

He just needs to get one feather, maybe two.

Shouldn’t be that hard.

* * *

“What are you watching?” Plagg asked with a curious tilt of his head while Annette just laid lazily on the couch.

He was so tempted to point out that she was acting like a cat in this fashion, but the TV show was a bit bizarre.

“Death Note.” Annette answered, finding the show interesting.

There wasn’t anything else to do until the fashion contest ended given how for once she didn’t have a schedule for the day.

Sadly she couldn’t invite Nino over because of what happened on her birthday and even if she could he was busy with something else so she wouldn’t be able to hang out to begin with.

Plus she always liked Anime, it was one of the few things that kept her sane growing up.

“... This show is disturbing.” Plagg finally said after a few more scenes, seeing how dark the show could get.

And coming from him that was saying something.

Annette didn’t even say anything to that as she kept watching, occasionally her mind wandering to how her friends were doing.

No doubt Chloe and Maron were getting ready for the contest, she did remember getting a text from Chloe saying that she was a shoe-in to win.

It was a bit of a surprise because Chloe never expressed interest in something like that before so Annette was looking forward to what she would make.

When her mind drifted towards Maron however, Annette actually paused the show in thought.

“Hm?” Plagg was surprised by that. “Are you getting snacks? Bring some Camembert when you do.”

“It’s… Nothing.” Annette muttered, the image of the scarf that was in Maron’s sketchbook coming to mind.

She was certain that scarf looked like the one that her father got for her birthday, yet it couldn’t be… Right?

Maybe it was a coincidence?

Yeah, he could’ve sketched it out after seeing it, right?

“Hey I want cheese.” Plagg interrupted her thought process.

“Gouda grief.” Annette said, her Chatte Noire side slipping out with that pun.

She got up to get some only to stop as she sneezed.

Nothing too unusual, at least until she sneezed a few more times, not stopping for a bit.

After the fourth time, Plagg actually flew up to her, a look of concern showing. “What’s wrong?” He asked, not sure if she was getting sick or not.

Sniffling, Annette felt the urge to sneeze again. “I-Is there a pigeon inside?” She muttered given how she was allergic to those damn birds.

Tilting his head, Plagg looked around before seeing one fly by the window.

So naturally he flew towards it in a curious fashion and stared. “Annette you might want to see this.”

Not liking that as she sneezed again, Annette approached the window only to see hundreds of Pigeons all around outside, on every building, every street light, every car.

This was unnatural.

“Achoo!” Annette groaned in annoyance. “Pigeons should be ill-eagle.”

She really wished she didn’t have allergies.

“Akuma?” Annette asked with Plagg giving a nod. “Alright Plagg, Claws Out!”

Allergies or not she can’t stay inside when there’s an Akuma behind this.

Thankfully the urge to sneeze wasn’t as strong when she was Chatte Noire, though it was still there.

* * *

Making it back to the Trocadero, Maron gave a sigh of relief as he found at least three feathers, enough to finish the hat.

Putting them in his bag as he ran, Maron wasn’t watching where he was going until he ran into Officer Rogers who glanced at him with a raised brow.

“Sorry about that sir.” Maron apologized with a sheepish look, wishing that he paid a bit more attention before running around him. “Have a good day.”

Officer Rogers watched him leave, giving an amused chuckle, knowing how kids could be before turning to scream as a horde of Pigeons swooped down on him.

Maron didn’t hear that as he was leaving the area with a sigh of relief before getting on a bus.

It was weird to speak to Officer Rogers, even at passing given how the man was one of the few people that spoke out against Beetle and Chatte Noire.

Maron did understand why given how he was certainly not trained to handle the type of stuff he dealt with when the Akumas were involved, in fact he’s pretty sure no one is.

It’s one of the reasons why he never became Beetle unless an Akuma was out and about, he left the normal crime alone to the professionals.

No need to give the man any more ammunition against him and Chatte Noire.

Tapping his foot, Maron was a bit surprised by how slowly the bus was moving and that was before they were stopped at a lane despite the light being green.

“Come on, can’t we go any faster?” Maron asked, annoyance creeping into his tone.

He was on a time limit here.

“Sorry folks, we have a bit of a situation.” The Bus Driver called back.

The annoyance disappeared in an instant with Maron blinking in concern.

Was there an accident?

Getting up, he moved towards the front of the bus only to see the road covered with Pigeons.

“What in the world?” Maron whispered, not expecting this before he decided to get off the bus, having to step carefully to avoid walking on a pigeon.

Eventually he made it to a crowd of people that were crowded around a screen as the News Reporter Nadja Chamack was giving the news about the situation.

“ _ -yes you heard me right, Pigeons have taken over Paris, this is just one of the many situations alarming authorities today with many people now wondering if this is yet another Akuma attack. _ ” Nadja explained, Maron tensing at that now knowing he had to leave and change to look into this.

But he had to finish the hat.

Still he can’t leave this situation alone, especially if it was an Akuma-.

Nadja then placed a finger on her bluetooth before giving a look that spoke volumes of her confusion. “ _ Yes, I’ve just been told that a ‘Mr. Pigeon’ is now making an announcement. _ ”

Snickers erupted around Maron for the name alone before the screen shifted to show the Akuma of the day, Maron actually recognizing him as the man from the park.

“ _ Oh, dreary day poor Parisians, _ ” Mr. Pigeon said, making a few bird noises with a demented grin. “ _ Sorry to ruffle your feathers, but Paris now belongs to the Pigeons. Flap! Flap! _ ”

As the man continued to demean himself on live television, Maron stared in disbelief, ignoring the sounds of laughter around him. “Hawk Moth must be very, very desperate.” He whispered, unsure if he should take this seriously or not.

Then again, Hawk Moth was able to make bubbles dangerous, so he should take this as seriously as possible.

So Maron ran off, running down an alley after making sure it was clear, looking around and up to ensure no one was looking out a window.

“Tikki, Spots On!”

* * *

Beetle swung through the streets of Paris, looking for Mr. Pigeon before landing on a rooftop, doing a roll in time to see airplanes made from Pigeons flying through the air.

“I-... Huh-What in the world.” Beetle was at a loss for words at how bizarre this was.

“Birds of a feather flock together,” A familiar voice said, though hearing the congested tone in it concerned Beetle as he turned to see Chatte Noire lazily lying on a ledge above him. “Achoo!”

The sneeze made Chatte loose her balance as she landed in front of Beetle.

“Sorry, I’m allergic to feathers.”

“Geez that’s helpful.” Beetle said, helping her up, seeing the girl about to sneeze again before she stopped herself.

“No kidding, but that’s only part of the problem, the Park Rangers are vanishing without a trace.”

“I know who it is, I think his name was Ramier, I saw Officer Rogers kick him out of the Trocadero for feeding the Pigeons.” Beetle explained, glancing to see a few more Pigeon made planes fly by. “He said something about Ramier being banned from every park and how the Rangers knew who he was.”

“Sounds like you quacked the case.”

It got silent as Beetle gave Chatte Noire a deadpanned look. “First cat puns and now bird puns?” He asked with Chatte Noire giving a grin, despite the urge to sneeze rising.

“What can I say? I have no Egrets,” Chatte Noire punned, earning a groan as Beetle began to swing to the next building. “What, don’t like my owl-esome puns? I'll have you know that they’re emu-zing.”

“If you say so, but we need to track down Mr. Pigeon ASAP-,” Beetle began, but he stopped when he realized the ridiculousness of what he just said. “When did life get so weird?”

Chatte Noire just snickered, landing next to him. “Welcome to the life of a superhero.” She said, remembering the weirdness of the comics.

She then raised a brow, her tail flicking back and forth.

“So why were you at the Trocadero?” She asked curiously.

There was nothing wrong with getting to know her Prince a little bit more while they were looking for the Akuma.

It was the only time they did see each other after all.

“I like the view.” Beetle said a bit quickly, not wanting to let on anything that would hint to his secret identity.

Hawk Moth was after their Miraculous after all, so it’s better that they didn’t know each other’s identity in case one of them was revealed.

“It does have a nice view,” Chatte Noire agreed, remembering some of the photo shoots that took place there, grinning slyly. “Purrhaps we should enjoy the view together sometime?”

Beetle said nothing to that, instead focusing on how they could find the Akuma and where it would be. But he was starting to get rather used to his partner’s flirting, so it was progress.

Still they needed to hurry if he wanted to finish the derby hat.

Just like that an idea came to him.

“We do have one advantage at least.” Beetle began much to Chatte Noire’s confusion. “Hawk Moth wants us which means sooner or later Mr. Pigeon will come to us.”

Just like that Chatte Noire got what he was hinting at. “So we’re going to set a trap?”

Beetle gave a nod.

* * *

Moments later they were in Des Vosges, laying a trap as Chatte Noire whistled, being the bait, leaning against a bench with her arms crossed while Beetle was on a tree branch, hiding with his yo-yo out, ready to spring the moment Mr. Pigeon showed his face.

It’s been ten minutes since they started to wait and so far nothing was going on-was Chatte dancing?

Beetle groaned, watching Chatte begin to do the Gangnam Style dance and poked his head out of his hiding spot. “Act natural or he won’t show!”

“What do you mean?” Chatte Noire asked, now doing a moonwalk, moving past the hiding spot, none of them seeing a lone Pigeon spotting them before taking off. “I am acting natural.”

“And that’s what terrifies me.” Beetle muttered a bit short tempered right now.

Yes he knew he was being a bit of a prick, but he wanted to finish this up as soon as possible.

Why did Hawk Moth have to choose today of all days to do something?

Couldn’t he have chosen something like tomorrow when nothing important was going on?

Chatte Noire was now doing the robot, giving him a curious glance. “Wow you sound like something is bugging you.” She observed as Beetle went to answer before pausing.

“... Was that a pun?”

Chatte Noire only gave a cheeky grin in response. “Purrhaps, but you really do sound troubled.”

“I’m not.” Beetle had no desire to talk about what was ‘bugging’ him as Chatte Noire put it.

Though he did appreciate the sentiment.

Obviously thinking otherwise, Chatte Noire went to continue the conversation, only to sneeze right as a huge flock of Pigeons swooped down and took off with her giving a shout of surprise.

Beetle gaped for a second before taking off after them, clearly not expecting something like that.

Thankfully they were easy to follow, all Beetle had to do was follow the sounds of Chatte Noire sneezing with him moving from rooftop to rooftop.

Eventually he landed on the roof of the Le Grand Paris Hotel, seeing the birds just drop Chatte Noire there before she began to brush feathers off of her.

Seeing that she was fine, Beetle slowly made his way towards her, seeing a lot of Pigeons just staring at them. “You hurt?”

“I’m feline fine.” Chatte Noire answered easily, her ears flickering as she was listening for anyone sneaking up on them. “Now where is that bird brain?”

“Considering the trouble those Pigeons went through to bring us here he has to be nearby.” Beetle theorized, Chatte Noire nodding in agreement. “But where?”

Up in the air, Mr. Pigeon stood on top of a group of Pigeons, looking down on the two heroes with a frown when the purple mask appeared, signaling that Hawk Moth was speaking to him.

‘ **_If you want to give Paris back to the Pigeons for good, you must first dispose of these two pests._ ** ’ Hawk Moth said, earning a smirk from Mr. Pigeon who blew into his bird call.

Immediately, the Pigeons zeroed in on the heroes as they backed up a bit wary. “Am I the only one feeling like bird seed?” Beetle asked right before the birds flew at them, circling the two.

“Achoo!” Chatte Noire sneezed due to the large number of them, the two in a twister of birds. “No you’re not.”

Grabbing her staff, Chatte Noire went to scare them away, swinging it but they just flew around her swipes while Beetle did the same with his yo-yo.

Nothing they were doing was having any effect.

“Got any bright ideas bug?” Chatte Noire asked, barely holding in another sneeze.

“Me? You’re the cat here,” Beetle pointed out, trying to look for a way to put a stop to this. “Shouldn’t you be eating them for breakfast?”

“That’s a bit of ostrich.” Chatte Noire punned right before a metal clanking sound caught their attention as the birds finally scattered only to show that they were now in a makeshift bird cage.

“Turpy day,” Mr. Pigeon landed in front of the captured heroes. “I’m so ruthless.”

Beetle gave him a deadpanned look, not really agreeing with that sentiment.

If he was so ruthless he could’ve had the pigeons peck their eyes out-... Wow they were lucky he didn’t do that.

‘ **_Excellent,_ ** ’ Hawk Moth whispered to Mr. Pigeon, satisfied by how this was going so far. ‘ **_Now, take their miraculous!_ ** ’

Grinning in response, Mr. Pigeon approached the duo who tensed up. “Now you have a choice, either give me your miraculous or face the wrath of my feathered friends.”

“Please, how un-pheasant can they be?” Chatte Noire asked, not taking the threat seriously right before they heard a loud noise making them look up to see a bunch of them jumping up and down on the top of the cage, bringing the roof slowly towards them.

If they take too long they could actually crush them with that, or make it uncomfortable really given how they’re pretty durable when their powers are on.

“You had to ask.” Beetle dryly remarked while Chatte Noire grinned rather sheepishly before the rest of the Pigeons surrounding the cage turned and lifted their tail feathers.

“Dada-dee on the count of three my beloved Pigeons will commence fire,” Mr. Pigeon grinned at the look of realizations the heroes had. “You can still save your sorry skins by handing me your Miraculous. One. Two-.”

“How about option two?” Beetle asked, cutting him off, not wanting to be pooped on. “Chatte the bars.”

Giving a nod, Chatte Noire got ready. “Cataclysm!”

Activating her power, she slid her hand across the bars, destroying the cage, making what remained fall over, scattering the birds as Mr. Pigeon began to cower away.

Especially when both heroes twirled their weapons, ready to end this. “Well, well, well,” Chatte Noire grinned, showing her canines. “Looks like this pigeon is really a chicken.”

“It’s over Ramier,” Beetle said, eyeing the bird caller where he assumed the Akuma was. “You have nowhere to go.”

“Oh really?” Mr. Pigeon asked with a grin, jumping off the building.

Eyes widening in horror, both Beetle and Chatte Noire ran to the edge only to see the Pigeons carrying him away.

“I’m just killing two birds with one stone,” Mr. Pigeon waved at them as they began to carry him away. “Merry Christmas!”

“It’s nowhere near-.” Beetle went to say only to see the rest of the pigeons forming together to fly at them. “Never mind that’s not important.”

Seeing that the heroes ran towards the nearby door, barely kicking it open and shutting it as the sounds of birds colliding resounded, a huge dent appearing on the door.

“Well that could’ve gone better.” Beetle panted, surprised by how that went.

A beep made them glance at Chatte Noire’s ring, the girl grimacing. “I need to go before my identity is revealed.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t want to let the cat out of the bag would you?” Beetle asked getting up to run down the stairs.

“Very funny,” Chatte Noire said dryly with a grin.

It didn’t take too long for them to reach the first floor where they could see a crowd of people waiting by the doors, glancing outside, one of them being the Mayor who immediately ran towards them. “Beetle! Chatte Noire!” He exclaimed, relieved to see the two superheroes. “I’m in great danger of losing big bucks if my guests leave Paris, you are going to get rid of those Pigeons aren’t you?”

Another beep made Chatte Noire fidget as she was running out of time. “O-Of course, but before we do I have an urgent need.”

A loud slap made them look at Beetle who did a face palm at how that was worded.

Even if he knew what she meant, the way she was moving and acting would make someone think something else.

And that was proven as the Mayor who looked a bit surprised, immediately answered, pointing to the nearby elevator that opened up. “I see, head to the royal suite, there’s paper in there but perhaps you would prefer a litter box?”

Ignoring how the Mayor was chuckling at his own little joke, Chatte Noire grinned. “No, but if you could send up some Camembert that would work.” She said, taking the elevator.

“Eh?” The Mayor glanced at Beetle who shrugged, having an idea on why she would ask for stinky cheese, but wasn’t going to say anything.

* * *

“Excuse me, sorry,” Chatte Noire immediately closed the door behind her as the Mayor’s Butler Jean opened the door to the suite. “Emergency.”

Checking her ring, Chatte Noire saw that she was really low on time when the Butler knocked. “How would you like your Camembert?”

“Runny!” Chatte exclaimed, panicking as she ran out of time and the transformation wore off, turning her back to Annette as her back was to the door, Plagg dropping to the ground.

This was bad, she didn’t have the Camembert yet and if she opened the door to get it that was goodbye secret identity.

Sure Jean could be trusted, Annette met him several times whenever she did hang out with Chloe, but she didn’t want anyone to know her identity.

“Oh the agony.” Plagg complained lying on the floor. “My poor aching body, I can’t move a muscle.”

A knock made Annette jump. “Unpasteurized Camembert, matured for two years.” Jean’s voice came through with Plagg perking up.

“Uh can you leave it right there? I can’t open the door right now?” Annette asked, pleading that he could.

There was a pause before the Butler answered. “Of course young miss.” He said and after a few seconds passed, Annette glanced at Plagg.

“Think he’s gone?”

Plagg just phased through the door. “He’s gone.”

Immediately she threw the door open and grabbed the plate before slamming it shut. “Okay eat up, Beetle needs us.” Annette placed the plate down, removing the cover to show the smelly cheese.

“My gooeyness!” Plagg cheered diving right for it, leaving for Annette to look away.

Plagg was certainly a messy eater that was for sure.

* * *

Beetle whistled in awe as he exited the elevator in the dining room of the hotel with large glass windows.

It was so exquisite and expensive, way out of his comfort zone if he was being honest.

But the view was nice and he could see just pretty far in Paris from here.

And that will help him with looking for Mr. Pigeon.

Slowly making his way towards the window, Beetle glanced out to see groups of pigeons flying around. “Odd, they’re heading in the same direction.”

Perhaps it was back to the Akuma?

“Better follow them.”

Turning around, Beetle ran towards the elevator as it opened up to show Chatte Noire who was ready to go with a grin. “Heading down, my Prince?”

“I prefer up.” Beetle answered, knowing they would avoid the crowd downstairs by doing that.

* * *

“The Grand Palais?” Chatte Noire asked, the two seeing the pigeons flying inside of the building before they landed on the rooftop, looking through the skylight to see every park ranger that was abducted along with Officer Roger.

“At least we know where they are, but where is Ramire?” Beetle muttered, hearing Chatte Noire about to sneeze, so he quickly pinched her nose to keep that from happening.

“Thanks.” Chatte Noire muttered, leaving for Beetle to let go with a nod. “He has to be near, my Pigeon Radar is on high alert.”

“So it’s most likely a trap, I don’t see him leaving the Park Rangers unattended.” Beetle frowned in thought, peeking in there. “We need to catch him by surprise and get his bird whistle.”

And he was really running out of time.

“We could just spring the trap.” Chatte Noire pointed out, her tail swishing back and forth while Beetle considered that.

It would be a good way for Mr. Pigeon to show himself, but it was also risky.

And he refuses to lose against someone named Mr. Pigeon.

As Beetle was thinking, Chatte Noire’s ear twitched as she could hear flapping and the urge to sneeze was getting stronger.

Without thinking, she tackled Beetle out of the way as a group of Pigeons nearly descended upon them, the two rolling on the ground before coming to a stop with Chatte on top of Beetle who was giving her a look of surprise while she grinned.

The surprise then turned into exasperation before the group of pigeons came at them again with the two separating to dodge them.

“Welcome to my nest, how generous of you to save me the trouble of locating you pests.” Mr. Pigeon greeted, sitting on a throne made of Pigeons that remained in the air. “Now how shall we do this, hm?”

‘ **_Now end them Mr. Pigeon and your feathery friends will rule Paris._ ** ’ Hawk Moth ordered, elated at being so close to having the Miraculous.

“Lucky Charm!” Beetle quickly activated his power only to be pleasantly surprised when a fishing rod appeared in his hand.

But was it really that simple?

Looking from the rod towards Mr. Pigeon, Beetle could see the bird whistle still around his neck.

He just needed a clean shot.

One that he didn’t have as the Pigeons suddenly surrounded them, blocking the target from view.

“I could go for some fish, at least I’m not allergic to them.” Chatte Noire quipped, seeing the item. “You have a plan?”

Hearing the whistle being blown, Beetle grinned. “I just need a distraction.”

Not looking too surprised, Chatte Noire gave a nod and ran out, using her staff to knock some of the birds away, that action definitely catching Mr. Pigeon’s attention at the mistreatment of his birds.

Seeing the focus on Chatte, Beetle quickly moved, jumping to a higher ledge, taking care to keep out of his sight as he realized a problem.

He never used a fishing rod before.

‘ _ Can’t be any harder than my yo-yo. _ ’

Chatte Noire sneezed, jumping over a group of Pigeons by using her staff to vault herself before sliding beneath another group, sneezing again.

This was really starting to annoy her.

“Wait.” Mr. Pigeon muttered as he realized his folly after a few seconds. “Where is the bug?!”

Hearing a noise, Mr. Pigeon turned and threw an arm up, the fishing line wrapping around his wrist as opposed to the whistle.

“Not what I was going for.” Beetle mused, tugging to keep his hand away from the whistle before he saw Mr. Pigeon attempting to use his free hand.

Beetle fixed that by using his yo-yo to wrap around it, having both hands being pulled now.

“Chatte the whistle!” Beetle exclaimed, hearing the beeping from his earrings telling him that his time was starting to run out.

Giving a grin, Chatte Noire vaulted herself on Mr. Pigeons’s back and grabbed the whistle. “Yoink!” She said, about to activate Cataclysm only to sneeze, dropping the whistle.

Eyes widening, Beetle didn’t even think about what he was doing as he rushed towards the falling whistle, his yo-yo retracting, leaving Mr. Pigeon a free hand to grab Chatte Noire and throw her off.

Seeing Beetle grab the whistle, Mr. Pigeon jumped off his ‘throne’ and used the line to reel himself in, tackling the hero right through the skylight where the Park Rangers could see them now, managing to get the whistle to blow into it, a couple of birds flying right at the ladybug themed boy, blocking his vision.

“Haha!” Mr. Pigeon gloated, using one hand to reach for the earrings only for a staff to be thrown at the back of his head, disorientating him right as Chatte Noire landed on his back, kicking him away only to grab Beetle and her staff, making it extend to the ground to prevent a rough landing as she slid down it.

Beetle was rather bewildered to find himself being carried bridal style. “H-Hey let go.” He said, quickly getting to the ground in embarrassment.

Chatte Noire gave a small laugh at his reaction and glanced towards Mr. Pigeon to see him getting up, but the whistle was nowhere to be seen.

“Beetle! Chatte Noire! Get us out of here!” The Park Keepers shouted as another beep came from Beetle.

He had three spots left on the earrings.

Understandably in a bit of a panic, Beetle looked around only to see the whistle right by the broken glass.

And Mr. Pigeon saw it too if the way he went at it was any indication.

Thinking quickly, Beetle saw that his arm was still attached to the fishing rod and threw his yo-yo to wrap around it, making him come to a stop just a few inches from the whistle.

“Cataclysm!” Chatte didn’t waste any time lunging and slamming her hand on the whistle, destroying it much to Mr. Pigeon’s horror.

Seeing the Akuma leaving, Beetle wasted no time in purifying it, watching as Mr. Pigeon turned into a very confused Xavier Ramier who blinked in bewilderment when Beetle got the fishing rod wire off his arm.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Beetle shouted, throwing the fishing rod into the air, watching as his power began to repair the damages done in the fight, even freeing the park rangers and taking them back to where they were abducted from in the process.

The birds began to scatter as Chatte Noire smiled in relief.

While the urge to sneeze was still there, it wasn’t as bad.

“Pound it.” Beetle said with a grin.

This was starting to become a bit of a tradition whenever they defeat an Akuma.

And it seemed that it was a tradition that Chatte Noire liked given how she returned it with a grin only for Beetle to be left with one spot.

“Oops I have to go, see ya kitty cat.” Beetle quickly zipped away.

Chatte Noire watched him disappear with a grin before realizing she had somewhere to be too so she quickly ran off after making sure Ramier was alright.

* * *

“No time to lose, I barely have half an hour.” Maron looked very stressed out, finally making it back home after changing back halfway home leaving for him to run the rest of the way back.

Needless to say he was exhausted but determined to finish this.

After pricking himself a few more times with the needle, Maron managed to get it finished with the feather standing tall and proud on the top with a grin, glancing at the phone only to see three minutes left and a missed call from Alya.

Eyes widening, Maron was very happy that he lived across the street from the school.

So he placed the hat inside of a box and rushed out of his room, barely saying bye to his parents who gave each other confused glances given how he was only home for a short time before leaving again.

“Where is that boy?!” Alya whispered finding herself worried given how Maron was the only one that hasn’t shown up.

She could see some good designs from Juleka and Rose and even Chloe had a good one much to her surprise.

If Maron could get here there was no doubt that whatever he designed was better if his sketches were any indication.

But what if he didn’t finish it in time? He was pretty worried.

“Nathalie!” The name alone made Alya’s head snap up when she heard Annette’s voice to see her greet the young woman while Nino stood a bit awkwardly to the side.

That was Nathalie? The one who gave Maron’s gift to Annette after saying it was from Gabriel?

Alya narrowed her eyes at the woman, already not liking her for that alone as Mr. Damocles greeted her. “Pardon me, but where is Mr. Agreste?” He asked curiously given how the man should be there by now.

In response, Nathalie held out a tablet showing the man who was video chatting. “I’m here.” Gabriel said much to Alya’s disbelief.

The man wasn’t even showing up in person?

“Oh um,” It seemed even Mr. Damocles was uncertain about this but he took it in stride. “Welcome to our school Mr. Agreste, it’s an honor to… Have you here.”

Gabriel gave a nod, glancing at Annette, ignoring Nino’s presence entirely. “Annette, show Nathalie around.”

“Yes father.” Annette said, giving Nino an apologetic look that he shrugged off trying to show that he wasn’t bothered.

That was when Alya heard rapid footsteps and turned to see Maron rushing in with a box, looking very stressed out. “I’m here!” Maron exclaimed, making it to Alya who shook her head.

“Where have you been?” Alya asked, though she did look concerned given how tired Maron looked.

“Let’s just say that today has been stressful.” Maron said, placing the box down on the table with a smile. “But I got it done.”

“Well let’s see it.” Alya was looking forward to it, only for her eyes to widen as Maron proudly took it out. “Wait.”

Maron blinked at her confused reaction before Alya’s face showed realization and swerved around with anger.

“That little brat.”

“Alya?” Maron was rather concerned by the reaction.

Was it really that bad?

“That’s the same design as Chloe’s!”

“What?!” Maron followed her gaze to see the blonde brat with the exact same hat. “Oh you have to be kidding me.”

He does not need this right now.

“Hello Mr. Agreste, I’m sure you remember me as Chloe, it’s certainly been awhile.” Chloe greeted her best friend’s father who gave a slow nod.

“Yes it has indeed, Miss Bourgeois.”

Maron gritted his teeth, realizing what happened.

But how did she get the design? He still has it in his notebook.

“On no, she is not getting away with this.” Alya was about to walk over and give Chloe a piece of her mind only to be surprised when Maron shook his head. “Are you seriously letting this go?!”

First the scarf, now the hat?!

“No, I have this.” Maron said with an almost eager look as he spotted something on Chloe’s hat that made him grin.

The look alone was enough for Alya to raise a brow and step back, curious to see how he would handle this right as the judge came to appraise his hat.

Gabriel frowned the second he saw the hat. “Natalie, turn back to Miss Bourgeois hat.” He ordered, his frown being more prominent when she did so to show that both designs were the same. “Is this a joke?”

Chloe faked a gasp. “No fair, Maron copied my design,” She accused, leaving for Maron to calmly cross his arms, waiting for her to finish. “How can you do that?!”

Looking back and forth between the hats, Annette gained a sneaking suspicion on what happened only for Maron to chuckle. “You done with the waterworks Chloe?” He asked, sounding amused, turning his attention from her to Gabriel. “I’m sorry for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can prove that this derby is my own design.”

That made Chloe freeze up while Gabriel decided to humor him. “Go ahead.”

“Everything on my derby hat is handmade, from the embroidery to the weaving, all the way to the stitching in the brim,” Maron picked it up, giving Chloe a smirk showing he was going to enjoy this next part. “Including a special design element that I add to everything I make.”

Turning the hat upside down, Maron showed his signature on his hat.

“Anything to add, Chloe? Or are you going to say I stole my own name given how it’s on your hat.”

Hearing that, Chloe froze and grabbed ‘her’ hat to see the exact same signature.

Something that could’ve been avoided if she made it herself instead of hiring someone to do it.

“I-I-.” Chloe gave Maron a look promising that this wasn’t over before she took off running as some snickers erupted.

“Nicely done.” Alya said, grinning at how Chloe embarrassed herself.

“Indeed, this hat is a very exquisite creation,” Gabriel complimented, surprising Annette if the way she looked at him was any indication. “You definitely have the laboring hands of a hat maker-?”

He trailed off, looking at Maron intently.

Something was familiar about this boy, but he couldn’t place it.

“Maron.” Annette spoke up, thinking that her father was waiting for his name, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder, making him tense up in surprise.

‘ _ Ah. _ ’ Gabriel thought now recognizing him as one of the children his daughter became friends with and chalked the familiarity to that.

So he continued. “Congratulations on your demonstration, Maron.” He told the boy who smiled. “You’re the winner.”

Those three words brought a gasp from Maron who didn’t expect that.

Yes he entered to win, but after everything that happened he figured he would’ve made second or third place at best.

“T-Thank you.” Maron said, barely getting that out in excitement while Alya playfully elbowed him with a grin giving him an ‘I told you so’ look.

“Annette will be wearing your derby on our next advertising campaign.”

‘ _ I don’t care how stressful today was, this is the greatest day of my life. _ ’ Maron thought, his mind processing that before he saw Annette reaching for the hat and went to give it to her, the result was her hand going on top of his, nearly making him drop the hat in the process.

Annette just smiled, seemingly not noticing what happened. “It looks great Maron.” She complimented, earning a shy smile before the girl went to put the hat on.

Only to sneeze, realization dawning on what was on the hat in the process.

Giving another sneeze, Annette smiled apologetically when she noticed how Maron and Alya looked rather confused. “Sorry I’m allergic to feathers.”

Maron winced hearing that as Annette sneezed again. ‘ _ Forget what I thought, this is a terrible day. _ ’

Figures he made something she was allergic to-.

Wait… Allergic to feathers?

Weird, Chatte Noire was allergic to them too.

Tilting his head a bit, Maron shrugged, thinking it was just a coincidence while Nathalie took the hat, saying something about perhaps getting a fake feather to keep with the aesthetic but to avoid aggravating her allergy.

* * *

That night, Annette was getting ready for bed but something was bugging her.

Plagg could tell given how she was taking her sweet time getting ready, more than she usually did and he was getting rather annoyed, wanting to get some sleep.

That way he can wake up for his morning camembert.

“Are you done?” Plagg asked, seeing her staring at her sink in thought.

The question broke Annette out of her thoughts. “Sorry.”

“What is with you?” Plagg flew up to land in her hair. “You’re acting stranger than usual.”

“I’m the one who acts strange?” Annette returned, a little offended but taking it in good humor.

Plagg for his credit just shrugged. “Hey every human is strange to me.”

Giving a huff, Annette placed her tooth brush back and left the bathroom only to see the scarf neatly folded on her desk and stared at it a bit.

She just couldn’t get it out of her mind.

The fact that Maron had a very detailed sketch of the scarf from the little that she saw.

Surely it was a coincidence right?

Frowning in thought, Annette walked over to the scarf as she remembered what Maron said when he proved that the hat was his design.

Of how he always added his signature to everything he created.

Slowly she unfolded the scarf and looked it over, hoping that she was wrong but eventually she found on the end of it the exact same signature, hidden in the stitching itself.

“Oh?” Plagg seemed to catch on, flying to look at the signature. “How curious, why is your friend's signature on your father’s gift?”

“I-,” Annette shook her head. “I don’t know.”

This was from her father wasn’t it?

But this showed that Maron was the one who made it.

What was going on?

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh who expected this chapter to end like that?
> 
> Originally I planned for Annette to find out during either Gamer or Stormy Weather, but in the Mr. Pigeon episode I figured it gave the perfect way for her to find out, especially with how in Canon Marinette revealed that she signs the stuff she makes and how Adrien did see her sketchbook.
> 
> Taking that into account, I figured it would be great to show that in this chapter.
> 
> More than that I tried to add a bit more to ‘Mr. Pigeon’ to shake things up a bit, even going as far as to change the item the Lucky Charm produced. My explanation for that is that they were in a different area.
> 
> If they were inside of the Grand Palais then it would still be the coin, but they were on the roof which added a bit more to what it could predict to make something for them to win.
> 
> Therego it was a fishing rod on the roof.
> 
> So it was my way to try and change the fight up a bit so it wouldn’t just be a rehash of canon.
> 
> And I do have some villains planned already, here’s a list.
> 
> Definite Villains: Control Freak (Akuma), Music Meister (Akuma), Michael Morningstar/Darkstar (Not an Akuma), Hex and Charmcaster (Neither are an Akuma)
> 
> Probable Villains: Deathstroke the Terminator and Doctor Eggman.
> 
> Those are the villains that are planned or might show up. If I do add Deathstroke, don’t expect him for awhile because as Beetle and Chat Noir are right now they wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like him. And Michael Morningstar is someone who would become more of Chat Noir’s villain in a way given how dangerous and dark he got in the Ben 10 cartoon.
> 
> And the next chapter will be my attempt at an original one, here's hoping I don't screw it up.


	5. Control Freak

A week has passed since the incident with Mr. Pigeon, plenty of people seeing a pattern with Hawk Moth’s lack of attempts in between Akumas, allowing for them to relax after said Akuma was taken care of only to be fearful once again after some time.

Whether it was a drawback of his power or a lack of time on his part, no one could say at the moment.

But the fear was less than it used to be with the civilians of Paris having more confidence in the likes of Beetle and Chatte Noire after they stopped four consecutive Akuma attacks and Paris was beginning to get used to the constant wariness that came with the attacks.

And with the wariness came new protocols implemented by the mayor such as a set curfew for people to be in at a certain time at night for the time being and constant patrols of the Police Officers to ensure that there would be a swift evacuation whenever an Akuma does attack.

One upside was that normal crime drastically decreased with the appearance of the superheroes showing that even with them only focusing on Akumas they were having a positive effect on the city in itself, enough that there was talk of the city officials drawing up plans for statues of them to be created in their honor but nothing on that end was confirmed.

All in all it would seem that the city was starting to grow accustomed to these attacks and with that came the excitement at there being actual heroes with many people being on the lookout for them to snap a picture or to brag about seeing them and countless merchandise about them being created, many of them sometimes wondering just who they were beneath those masks.

* * *

Rapid typing could be heard as a figure was on a computer in a room that was filled to the brim with countless merchandise.

Everything from Star Wars, to Majestia Comics to Video Games could be seen in posters, collectible action figures and even the bed sheets.

But the most recent additions to the room were the countless posters of Beetle and Chatte Noire, even a coffee cup showing them was nearby before the figure moved to show a rather young man who was a bit on the heavy side with auburn hair and a scruffy look on his face, wearing a casual black shirt and jeans.

He was currently surfing the Beetleblog, finding whatever he could about the heroes, giving a fanboyish squeal when he saw the footage of the heroes fighting the Akumas.

It didn’t matter how many times he watched it, it was awesome.

How can it not be?! They were real life superheroes instead of comic book ones.

What a time to be alive!

Pausing to take a sip of his coffee, the young man jumped when his phone rang with the Darth Vader theme going off before he answered it without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

“ _ Alexander, where are you?! _ ” A voice asked in a harsh tone, making the man blink in surprise, recognizing the voice of his boss.

“Er I’m at home? Isn’t today my day off?” Alexander asked, not getting why he was being called in.

He had today all planned, after he finished looking at the new stuff on the Beetleblog, he planned to play some music and put together that Lego Death Star he finally got delivered before watching a movie marathon.

“ _ Day off?! No that’s tomorrow! _ ” The man shouted as Alexander winced, checking the date only to barely refrain from cursing.

He got the days mixed up.

“S-Sorry sir, I’m on my way.” Alexander said, panicking as he had to shave and shower as fast as he could.

“ _ This is starting to become a habit, _ ” Alexander’s boss said, not caring about what he was possibly doing. “ _ If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to fire you. _ ”

Swallowing with anxiety, Alexander nodded before remembering he was on the phone. “I-It won’t happen again.” He promised hanging up and turning off his computer. “Come on Jeffery you have this.”

With that said, Jeffery Alexander left to get to work.

* * *

Annette sat in class in thought, her hands clasped together while listening to Miss Bustier teaching the subject but she wasn’t paying attention.

Not because it wasn’t interesting, but she couldn’t focus. No matter how hard she tried.

And the reason was sitting right behind her.

It’s been days since she found Maron’s signature on the scarf she thought was from her father and she has yet to confront either of them about it.

How could she? She had no idea what to do.

Annette wanted to keep believing that it was from her father, that he did care enough to get her a gift.

Yet there was proof that Maron made it.

And if that was true then why did Maron go along with it? Why did he lie and not say that it was from him?

Feeling someone nudge her, Annette glanced over to see Nino giving a concerned look. “You alright dude?” He asked, seeing that she was distracted.

Not wanting to bother him with it, Annette forced a smile on her face. “I’m fine… Just tired.”

Nino just gave her a skeptical look, but he didn’t push for now considering he didn’t want either of them to get caught by the teacher.

He’ll push after class is over.

Meanwhile with Maron, he was sketching out another hat, this one being a cake themed one to do for the bakery after bringing it up with his parents to see if they would like it.

They loved the idea, so he spent every moment he had since working on different designs, taking his time with this one due to a lack of a time limit.

None of them felt right however, but he kept the sketches to look back to in case he changed his mind about them.

Alya idly glanced over every few seconds, finding the sketches to be interesting as well as warning Maron whenever Miss Bustier was near to avoid any trouble, considering how the boy would get caught up inside of his own head at times.

When she wasn’t doing that, she was working on the Beetleblog, updating it whenever she had the chance.

Especially with some small articles detailing each Akuma attack considering how much info she got on each of them.

Perhaps if she could get an interview with either Beetle or Chatte Noire she would definitely cement the blog as one of the best?

Food for thought.

Though that’s if she could, considering how they would disappear immediately after an Akuma Attack and not show up for anything else.

Putting her phone down for a bit to think this through, Alya thought back to when Beetle had her backpack during his second appearance.

She still hasn’t figured out how he got it or told anyone, but it left her wondering if Beetle went to the school?

And if he did what about Chatte Noire? Did she go to this school too?

Could they be in this very classroom?

The second that question raced through her head, Alya had to force herself not to snort in disbelief, already thinking that would be a bit much.

Instead she began to think of a way to get the interview.

Maron raised a brow at how Alya seemed to be acting despite her not saying a word, but left it alone feeling that if she wanted to say anything she would.

Instead he went back to his sketching, thinking about using colored thread in the form of sprinkles on the ‘cake’ hat before crossing the idea out.

* * *

“Alright spill, what’s wrong?” Nino didn’t wait long until they were out of school during lunch time. “Something is clearly bothering you.”

He just hoped it didn’t have anything to do with her father.

Annette hesitated, clearly uncertain whether to bring it up again or not before she looked over her shoulder to make sure that no one else would overhear.

“It’s about my scarf.”

Nino raised a brow, not expecting that. “The one you got for your birthday?” He asked, making sure as she nodded to confirm that. “Alright what about it?”

“I found Maron’s signature on it.”

That one threw Nino off before he remembered the Derby Hat contest where Maron said that he put his signature on everything he made. “I thought it was from your Dad.”

“I thought so too, Nathalie said it was.”

Nino hummed and adjusted his hat in thought.

Alright he was beginning to see what the problem was.

“Did you speak to Maron about it?” Nino asked only for Annette to shake her head. “Why not?”

Surely that would be the easiest way to find out.

Annette fidgeted, messing with the strap on her bag. “He already lied about it if he did make it.” She admitted knowing that if she tried, he would no doubt try to keep up with the lie.

Well if he could get a word out, Annette had no idea why he always sounded scared around her.

Did she do something to scare him?

Nino hummed in thought before grinning and clasping a hand on her shoulder. “How about I ask him then?” He offered with a grin. “I could say I saw the signature when you showed me the scarf.”

Annette blinked and thought about that. “That could work.” She mused as she did see him and Nino interact before and Maron never acted scared around him.

A honk made her look towards the street to see that her ride was there.

“See you after lunch.” Annette said, waving good-bye as Nino gave a nod, watching as she left before glancing towards the bakery.

* * *

“Thank you, come again.” Alexander said with a fake smile, working at one of the stores within the Beaugrenelle, already having a terrible day after a few hours of dealing with customers, many of them being rather condescending.

He usually kept a good lid on his annoyance, just happy to have a job but today he was a bit irritated.

More so than usual.

Probably because all the plans he had today were shot down the drain but he knew that he only had himself to blame for that one.

Why did he lose track of what day it really was?!

Times like this he missed being a kid, one with no worries.

Sighing as no one seemed to be entering the store after that last customer, Alexander found himself bored before he looked around.

Once he made sure he was alone, Alexander pulled his phone out and brought up a video showing the heroes, this one showing the end of their second fight against Stoneheart.

Must be nice, being an actual superhero, he bet that neither Beetle or Chatte Noire have to go through this type of stuff.

They get the action, the adventure and the adoration of the city and the cool powers.

He couldn’t help but be a little jealous but Alexander's admiration for them was higher than that.

If only he could have powers.

If he did then everything would be so much easier.

The video showed some obvious flirting from Chatte Noire that made him snicker, feeling better already-.

A hand slammed in front of Alexander, making him shriek as his boss, a middle aged man with greying dark hair in a grey suit and tan slacks gave him a look of annoyance.

“Mr. Albertson-.” Alexander began but Albertson cut him off.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you slacking off.” Albertson said in a harsh tone, not caring if there wasn’t anyone in the store.

He was still paying him by the hour, so he should at least do something productive instead of being on the phone.

“You’re constantly late with your excuses, you’re on your phone constantly and you’re always slacking off, I gave you enough chances,” Albertson listed everything that’s been going on with Alexander’s shoulders dropping at every word. “I gave you a warning earlier today but it seems that you didn’t heed it.”

“Wait, please I-.” Alexander tried, knowing what was coming.

Albertson once more cut him off, no remorse showing. “I’m sorry but you’re fired.” He turned away as Alexander looked crushed. “I’ll send your last check in the mail.”

* * *

Fired.

Those words kept repeating in Alexander’s head as he left the store, not registering fully until he got home and sat on his couch in front of the tv, an old looney toons cartoon showing as he gripped a remote.

‘ _ Way to go. _ ’ Alexander told himself with a groan. ‘ _ Your one job and you got yourself fired because you couldn’t keep yourself off the phone. _ ’

All because he couldn’t stop being such a fanboy.

It didn’t matter what it was. Anything he was a fan of he always took it to the extreme and it came back to bite him in some form or another.

Why can’t he just learn his lesson?!

Alexander tried to tell himself that it would get better, that he’ll just find another job.

But what if he couldn't? He’d have to sell his stuff to get money, he would have to sell his home… Move back in with his parents.

That would be a nightmare.

Not that he didn’t love them, but his social life was already nonexistent, any chance for one as small as it was would be obliterated if he still lived with his parents at his age.

Heck how could he get a girlfriend if he can’t even get a friend?

‘ _ I still have money, if I hurry and find a job it’ll be fine. _ ’ Alexander looked back at the TV right as the Looney Tunes show ended and it began to show Tom & Jerry. ‘ _ I’ll start looking tomorrow. _ ’

Yet the fear persisted and that fear was noticed.

* * *

“The despair of losing one's livelihood, the anger and humiliation of being jobless,” Hawk Moth grinned, feeling this surge of emotion from his hideout. “How fortunate for you that I have a job opening.”

Raising his hand as a butterfly landed on his palm, Hawk Moth focused with dark energy surrounding it.

“Go forth my Akuma and corrupt him.” With a wave of his cane, Hawk Moth watched as the Akuma flew off.

* * *

“Seen it.” Alexander switched through the channels with a bored look, trying to keep himself busy and not think about what happened. “Seen it. I already have a slap chop. Seen it. Don’t want to see it. Not into Game of Thrones.”

It’s an alright series and he loved the books, but the show was basically pornography and it makes him uncomfortable watching it.

Alexander was so focused on the TV, he didn’t notice the Akuma flying through his blinds before it landed on his remote, the purple outline of a mask covering his face while a dark look appeared.

“ **_Control Freak I have a job offer for you,_ ** ” Hawk Moth whispered inside his mind. “ **_I can give you the power you want to make your life great and get your revenge for losing your job, in return all I ask for are the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, do we have a deal?_ ** ”

“Yes Hawk Moth.” Alexander agreed, hearing the words revenge and having powers.

That along with a job offer? How can he say no?

Dark energy surged through Alexander before Control Freak stood there with his auburn hair now ginger and reaching his shoulders while his scruffy beard turned into sideburns, wearing a dark grey coat with metal shoulders pulled over a tan colored robe and brown trousers.

Control Freak gave a dark laugh, wielding his remote like it was a weapon. “Oh yeah baby this is what I’m talking about!” He exclaimed, feeling completely different than before. “Time to show Paris how bad I am!”

Giving a laugh, Control Freak pressed a button and became energy that went into the TV, travelling through the power lines.

* * *

Albertson held a solemn look as he was looking through the receipts of what was already sold, already calling someone else in to take Alexander’s place for the day.

There was a bit of regret on firing him but Albertson needed people he could count on and he gave too many chances to the young man.

Though he will say he was rather surprised by the amount of customers asking about him, showing that despite his slacking off he was well liked by a good amount of them.

Writing down some more numbers, Albertson was caught off guard when Control Freak came out of the nearby camera, giving a laugh, scaring the nearby customers.

“Hello Mr. Albertson.” Control Freak greeted with a grin.

Initially confused, Albertson’s eyes widened when he recognized the similarities to these ‘Akumas’ that were appearing lately and remembered the rumors of what the symptoms leading up to them were.

Was this-?

“Alexander?”

“It’s Control Freak now,” Control Freak aimed his remote at his old boss. “And I’m here for one small purpose. Revenge.”

With that said he pressed a button and wires shot out of the cash register and wrapped around Albertson who panicked, giving muffled shouts when the wires wrapped around his mouth.

That act caused countless screaming as customers began to run for it.

“Ah that should be enough to draw out Beetle and Chatte Noire.” Control Freak mused with a grin. “Let’s see how they do against me.”

* * *

Maron hummed to himself as he began to work on the cake hat with a small sandwich that was half eaten nearby while the TV was on with a news report talking about the weather.

“Here you go.” Tikki flew up, holding a pair of scissors making the teenage fashion designer smile in appreciation.

“Thanks Tikki, think you can hand me the measuring tape too?” He asked with the Kwami giving a nod, flying off to get it while he began to cut into the fabric he would need, getting it ready.

It took no time at all for Tikki to find the tape and place it next to Maron before she flew towards the sketch. “How much are you planning on doing?”

“For now just getting the beginning stages set up, I can continue on the rest after school.” Maron answered right before there was a knocking sound making him tense up before Tikki quickly hid. “It’s open.”

Much to his surprise Nino was the one to open the door rather than his parents. “Hey Maron, hope you don’t mind me barging in.” Nino said, casually walking up the stairs, though he looked around in surprise.

When he was told that his room was in the attic, Nino wasn’t expecting this much space.

To be honest, it was a pretty sweet room.

“Uh no I don’t mind, what can I do for you?” Maron asked curiously, putting the scissors down.

That was something Nino noticed. “Oh, uh are you busy? I can come back later.” He offered not wanting to intrude on something like that.

“It’s fine.” Maron reassured him with a friendly smile.

Though he was wondering why Nino was here.

Don’t get him wrong he’s gotten along with Nino in the times they do interact but he usually hangs with Annette or some of the others in class.

The only time they truly interacted longer than normal was when he was Akumatized into Bubbler and Maron was Beetle at the time.

Taking a moment to close the door behind him, Nino spoke up, deciding to be blunt on this matter. “Did you make Annette’s scarf?”

“Wha-huh?!” Maron panicked, not expecting that at all and the way he acted was enough proof for Nino. “O-Of course not, you heard her, her father gave it to her.”

Why was he asking this?!

“Dude, your signature is on the scarf.” Nino pointed out with Maron going quiet before groaning, placing a hand on his face.

He forgot he did that.

It was by accident that he put it on there out of habit and he was running out of time where he couldn’t restart, so Maron tried to hide it in the stitching because it could’ve been seen as creepy.

“Maron it’s not bad, I’m just wondering why you lied about it?” Nino was now leaning against Maron’s desk, one hand on his headphones that were around his neck. “She loves the scarf.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Maron muttered, not wanting to let slip about his ‘crush’. “You can’t tell Annette, please.”

Nino looked unsure given how Annette already knew. “But-.”

Maron wasn’t budging however and cut him off. “She can’t know.”

He didn’t want to take the happiness she had in thinking it was from Gabriel away.

“Maron,” Tikki hissed from his jacket. “The News!”

“Huh?” Maron turned towards it much to Nino’s confusion, making him look as Nadja was on with the title ‘Akuma Attack?’

Eyes widening, Maron unmuted the TV.

“ _ -Footage of a being calling himself Control Freak causing havoc, bringing objects to life to attack people. _ ” Nadja stated, the video showing Control Freak pointing a remote at whatever he pleased, even making a trash can come to life with a roar. “ _ With this much panic, people are beginning to question where Beetle and Chatte Noire are-. _ ”

Nadja was cut off when Control Freak materialized in the newsroom, coming out of the camera much to her shock.

“ _ Oh don’t mind me, just preparing for an announcement. _ ” Control Freak casually pressed a button as wires shot out of the camera, wrapping around Nadja, covering her mouth. “ _ Is this still rolling? _ ”

The camera gave a shaky nod showing that the cameraman must be terrified.

“ _ Good, now that I have your attention where are you Beetle and Chatte Noire?! Are you scared of your new Arch-Nemesis Control Freak?! I demand that you show up and surrender your Miraculous! _ ”

Control Freak gave a laugh before pausing. “ _ Did you get that? _ ” The camera gave another shaky nod. “ _ Okay cool, let’s cut to commercial. _ ”

He pressed a button as the cameraman gave a scream before the feed was cut.

“Oh man.” Maron whispered at the powers this Akuma was showing.

He could already tell that the Akuma was most likely in the remote but how will he get it-.

“Seriously? Even he got a better look than I did.” Nino complained remembering footage of him as Bubbler. “Man why do I look like the lame one out of all of them?”

Maron raised a brow in his direction. “Mr. Pigeon.”

Nino paused, considering that. “Good point.”

At least he looked better than that one.

It got silent as Maron began to internally panic. “Hey I need to go.” He said turning the TV off much to Nino’s surprise.

“In the middle of an Akuma Attack?” He asked knowing that school would at least be called off until it was taken care of.

“I’m uh… Trying to finish this hat for my Dad.” Maron quickly latched onto that, trying to find an excuse so he could be alone and change into Beetle.

Grabbing it, Maron smiled and ran up the stairs to the roof, leaving a perplexed Nino before he sighed, getting it.

Maron was most likely avoiding him because of how he tried to get answers about the scarf.

“Way to go.” Nino muttered, annoyed at himself for that.

He should’ve learned to not be pushy after his attempt with Annette’s dad.

Taking a moment to text Annette what happened, Nino left the room.

* * *

“You really need to work on your excuses.” Tikki mused as Maron made it to the roof, closing the door behind him.

“I panicked alright?!” Maron shook his head and placed the hat beneath the table he had on there. “But we can worry about that later. Tikki, Spots On!”

* * *

Annette idly poked the food on her plate a bit bored.

Mostly because once again she was by herself at the table while her Dad was most likely in a business meeting.

“If you don’t hurry you’re going to be late.” Plagg pointed out, already finishing his meal.

That made Annette give him a weird look. “Since when do you care if I’m late or not?”

Plagg usually tries to insist she takes it easy, at least when Akuma’s weren’t involved as he was trying to make up for his role in convincing her to slack on her duties with Bubbler.

Yet he detested school because of how boring he found it.

Plagg just rolled his eyes. “If you’re late I’m the one who has to listen to you gripe about it.” He said, poking some fun at her.

After a few seconds, Plagg frowned as usually that would result in a comeback, yet nothing came much to his disappointment.

He quite enjoyed the banter at times.

“Still thinking about that scarf?”

It was easy to see the answer as Annette sighed.

“If it bothers you so much then ask him.” Plagg advised, finding it to be tiring after the last few days.

“Anytime I try to talk to him he acts strange,” Annette pointed out, remembering the times before she discovered the signature. “I just don’t know why.”

Plagg just stared at her as if she said something stupid.

“What?”

“I’m not getting involved with this.” Plagg simply said, shaking his head at how oblivious Annette seemed to be.

Anyone with half a brain could see how badly that kid was crushing on her, he’s seen the signs since that first day.

Tikki might be the one to give out advice to help it along but there wasn’t enough cheese in the world for him to get involved with that mess.

Nope, he preferred to sit back and watch everything unfold, much more fun that way.

Annette gave him a confused look before her phone buzzed making her glance at it only to see a News App and the title made her eyes widen.

“An Akuma?!”

That caught Plagg’s attention as Annette quickly stood up and left her food, grabbing her bag.

“Hm, at least this will be more interesting than the scarf.” Plagg mused, flying after her as she made it to her room. “You’re not going to finish eating?”

“Models don’t eat much.” Annette quipped with a grin, tossing her bag to her bed. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

Perhaps being Chatte Noire for a bit will help her clear her head.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Beetle to get to the Beaugrenelle, walking in to see it completely deserted.

“Okay if I was Control Freak, where would I go?” Beetle mused, making it to one of the railings in thought.

Unlike the other Akuma’s he knew next to nothing about this one.

It had to happen at one point given how many people were in Paris.

He barely reacted to the soft footsteps behind him before a shape landed on the railing next to him where Chatte Noire perched like a cat, giving Beetle a grin.

“Fancy seeing you here my prince,” She greeted, her tail moving to poke him. “Any luck?”

“None so far, this one made himself scarce, but why would he attack here?”

“Purrhaps he didn’t like the clothing selection?” Chatte Noire suggested considering most of the stores in this place were clothing ones along with a few restaurants. “Or maybe he got food poisoning.”

“I don’t know, seems a bit too petty.”

Chatte Noire just raised an amused brow. “And the others weren’t?”

Beetle went silent to contemplate that. “... True.”

Even if the reasoning is petty it was enough for Hawk Moth to work his magic.

“Still he called us out so why isn’t he around?”

“Oh but I am!”

Both Heroes spun around to see Control Freak come out of a nearby camera with a grin.

It wasn’t a demented grin though, it was more of a gleeful one.

“Oh wow you’re both so much cooler in person.”

Beetle blinked in disbelief.

What was-?  
Chatte Noire just snorted in amusement. “Would you look at that, we have a fanboy.”

“Not a fanboy,  _ THE _ Fanboy!” Control Freak bragged as if that was something to be proud of. “How can I not be?!”

“This is… Strange.” Beetle wasn’t sure what to make of this right as a purple mask appeared on Control Freak.

‘ **_What are you doing?! I held my end of the deal, get me their Miraculous!_ ** ’ Hawk Moth said in annoyance while Control Freak scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry I’ll do it, I have my own way of doing things.” Control Freak then gripped his remote. “But he’s right enough of this, let me show you what I can do!”

With a laugh he pressed a button and a light shot from the remote right at the two as they dodged with it hitting the rail.

“You missed.” Chatte Noire taunted, gripping her staff while Beetle spun his yo-yo, ready to throw it.

“Oh did I?” Control Freak asked, confusing the heroes before Chatte heard movement and turned, her eyes widening at what she was seeing.

“Beetle behind you!”

“Wha?” Beetle asked only for the rail to come to life and break apart, wrapping around him as he was lifted into the air. “Whoa!”

Control Freak wasn’t done there as he made the nearby trash can come to life where it lunged at Chatte Noire, ready to bite into her as she dodged it.

“Try all you like, you can’t beat me!” Control Freak bragged, laughing all the while.

Beetle struggled, trying to break out but the railing slammed him into the wall and then the floor, disorientating him while Chatte leapt off the floor and ran up the railing, jamming her staff into its hold, extending it to break Beetle out.

Shaking his head once he was free, he grabbed her hand as she jumped before they could be grabbed again and used his yo-yo to zip away from the live inanimate objects.

“Definitely a dangerous one, never thought a couch potato with a suped up remote could do something like that.” Beetle muttered, the two landing in a clothing store only for Control Freak to come out of the store camera.

“Oh really? Try this on!” Control Freak brought the mannequins to life as they slowly walked towards the heroes.

Seeing the faceless mannequins, Chatte Noire just chuckled. “I feel like I’m in a Slender game now.”

“Which one?” Control Freak asked, a bit surprised she knew those games.

“Arrival.”

Beetle ignored the game talk, looking around for something to use.

Sure he could use his Lucky Charm, but he didn’t want to use it too early. If they could tire the Akuma out before he used it that would make it more effective.

“Chatte!” Beetle exclaimed, saying no words as he threw his yo-yo to wrap around one mannequin’s arm and pulled with his partner ducking while he spun it around to use it like a wrecking ball to slam the others away before letting go for it to fly at Control Freak who quickly dove out of the way.

They ran to get him before he hit the ground, but much to their shock, he actually bounced upward as if his ‘overweight’ appearance helped out when it shouldn’t be possible.

Laughing at their expressions, Control Freak brought the clothes to life as different kinds of thread shot at the heroes with them ducking and weaving around them.

Spinning around as if he was dancing, Control Freak then brought the cash register to life for them to fly at the heroes, spitting coins like bullets, making it harder for them to counter attack.

“You have a plan?” Chatte Noire asked, spinning her staff to knock the coins away while Beetle was doing the same with his yo-yo to cut the clothes threads before they could grab them.

“We need to get that remote before he overwhelms us.”

Giving a nod, the two quickly rushed at Control Freak who calmly pressed the button, this time at the ceiling where wires that were connected to the lights shot down, slamming them back.

“Don’t think it’ll be so easy you two, if you hate part one then the sequels will definitely wear you down.” Control Freak taunted, having the time of his life as he mockingly waved at them.

Beetle rubbed his head in annoyance before seeing the mannequins getting up.

“We need to retreat.” He said knowing that they would be overwhelmed.

“Fur real, he’s purrty fur-midable.” Chatte Noire agreed, getting up before the two booked it.

“Yes run, no one can stop me now!” Control Freak laughed at how easy it was to beat the heroes only to wince as Hawk Moth shouted at him.

‘ **_After them, you can take their Miraculous while they’re weakened._ ** ’

* * *

“This doesn’t feel right.” Beetle muttered, hiding with Chatte Noire in the female restroom.

“It’s the one place he won’t look.” Chatte Noire pointed out as she was the one to suggest this, her ears perked, listening for Control Freak.

Beetle gave a nod of agreement as he tried to think of a plan.

They’ve never had this much trouble with the others before, thankfully the mall was practically empty and they didn’t use their special powers yet so they weren’t in danger of turning back.

Still with Control Freak being able to bring inanimate objects to life, there’s no telling what else he could do.

“We just need to get that remote away from him.” Beetle stated the obvious, frowning in thought.

Chatte Noire sighed, getting that. “Easier said than done.”

They can’t even get close to him and even if they could he could just teleport-.

Beetle had an idea.

“Destroy the cameras.”

“Huh?” Chatte Noire glanced at him in surprise.

“We destroy all the cameras and he can’t teleport, TVs as well just to be safe, once we do that we just need to corner him.” Beetle explained quickly. “Once we do that I can use my miraculous ladybug to fix everything we break.”

They just need to catch him off guard.

Hearing that, Chatte chuckled. “Let me guess, you need a distraction?” She asked, seeing a pattern here.

“Well I can be the distraction if you want.” Beetle offered.

Given how big this place was, it would be better for both of them to destroy the cameras, but realistically they needed to keep the Akuma busy.

And he didn’t want to have Chatte just be the distraction after the last two times.

“I’m just kitten around,” Chatte Noire said with a wink at him. “I’m purr-fectly fine with being a distraction fur you.”

Though Beetle could tell something was off. “You're laying pretty heavy into the puns today.”

Yes she did the same with the incident concerning Mr. Pigeon but she didn’t do that with the others as much.

So either she was getting more comfortable to let them slip or something was troubling her. He was more inclined to believe the latter considering how with Mr. Pigeon she was just allergic to his birds.

Chatte Noire actually hesitated and that was all that Beetle needed to confirm that something was wrong.

“You want to talk about it?”

After all once they took Control Freak down they wouldn’t have time to really talk and if something was bothering her he wanted to help.

Chatte Noire was about to decline, but after a second she sighed. “It’s something personal,” She began crossing her arms in thought. “I found out a friend of mine lied about something and I’ve been debating on whether or not to confront him about it.

Whatever Beetle was thinking was wrong, this was the last thing he expected. “Do you know why he lied?” He asked only for Chatte to shake her head.

“That’s the thing, I have no clue why he would lie, he usually keeps to himself but he’s pretty nice from what I can tell.”

“Maybe he had a reason?” Beetle suggested remembering how he lied to Annette.

The parallels were pretty uncanny.

“How well do you know him?”

“Not that well.” Chatte Noire admitted, her ears lowering in her disappointment.

And it’s not like she didn’t want to get to know Maron, it’s just that she’s usually pretty busy with her day to day life as Annette and whenever she does interact with him at school he always shys away from the conversation leaving her to have to guess what he was like from how he interacts with others.

“Does he seem like the type to lie?” Beetle tried again and after a few seconds of thought, Chatte Noire shook her head. “You should confront him about it then, if he isn't the type of person to lie then he has to have a reason.”

“You really think he’ll tell me?” Chatte Noire asked, remembering how Maron usually acts.

“You won’t know unless you try.” Beetle said with a shrug before they heard a shout. “We’ll have to continue later.”

Chatte nodded but she felt a lot better. “Thanks Beetle.” She said, taking off out of the bathroom to enact their plan as Beetle smiled.

“What are friends for?”

* * *

“Come on, where are you?!” Control Freak shouted, having looked just about everywhere in the Mall. “Don’t tell me you both are just a bunch of cowards!”

If they were he can’t believe he even thought they were cool.

“How rude, fur-end, we just have better things to do.” The Akuma turned to see Chatte Noire lazily leaning against one of the guard rails, giving a lazy wave.

“Oh just you alone?” Control Freak asked, not seeing Beetle swinging to the other end of the store to start destroying the cameras there. “Where’s your bug-friend?"

“He needed to take a paws, you know how things can get.” Chatte Noire shrugged, not saying anything and purposely trying to get him mad.

‘ **_Don’t fall for it, she’s distracting you, keep an eye out for Beetle._ ** ’ Hawk Moth warned, having memories of the times they pulled this with his other Akumas.

With that in mind, Control Freak aimed his remote, intent on getting Chatte out of the way and getting her Miraculous while they were separated only for Chatte to jump, doing a flip over the railing, giving a taunting wave that infuriated him.

* * *

While that was going on, Beetle was slamming his yo-yo into each and every camera he could find and destroying the tv screens he happened upon.

‘ _ Good thing I can repair damage, just imagine the lawsuit this would bring if I couldn’t. _ ’

Though he did feel concerned given how he was leaving Chatte Noire to fend for herself during all of this, he pushed that feeling down to focus however.

He had to trust that Chatte could keep the distraction up, just like how she trusted that he could do this easily.

Kind of weird that they trust each other so well despite not knowing who the other was, but fighting alongside each other in these life threatening situations helped a lot in building up that trust.

In a way Chatte Noire was his closest friend because of this despite how short of a time they really knew each other.

Heading into the next store, Beetle was surprised when he happened upon Albertson who was tied up, the man still struggling.

So he used his yo-yo to cut the wires, freeing the man who gasped for air given how hard it was to breathe like that. “Are you okay?” Beetle asked, helping the man stay on his feet.

“Y-Yes-wait you’re Beetle?” Albertson was surprised to see one of the heroes. “Are you here for Alexander?”

“Alexander?” Beetle asked before it clicked. “Wait, is that Control Freak?”

Albertson gave a nod, remembering how the man called himself that. “How bad is it?”

“No one is dead so not that bad.” Beetle remarked given how their fights had a zero casualty rate so far and he’s hoping to keep it that way. “Do you know what happened?”

Hesitating for a bit, Albertson gave a nod. “This is my fault, I fired him for slacking off earlier today.”

Now things were starting to make sense.

Anyone would feel frustrated over being fired even if it was justified. Normally they wouldn’t go this far, but with Hawk Moth being around people can barely get upset anymore without risking being Akumatized.

“Get to safety, we’ll handle the Akuma.” Beetle told the man before leaving while Albertson looked down in thought.

Could this have been avoided if he didn’t fire Alexander? But what else could he do considering how he did catch him slacking off?

Glancing towards where Beetle disappeared, Albertson wondered if he should try and make things right once Alexander was back to normal.

* * *

“Whoa!” Chatte Noire landed on one of the tables at the food court, using her staff to destroy the living trash can that tried to bite her. “Nice try.”

Hearing small snarls, Chatte turned to be dumbfounded as food was brought to life and slowly moved towards her.

This was really weird.

“Eat her!” The food chanted right before lunging at her with Chatte quickly vaulting away.

Control Freak laughed at seeing this, wishing he had a camera to take a picture before hearing a noise.

Turning around, he yelped when a yo-yo wrapped around his hand holding the remote only for Beetle to zip in, tackling him in the gut sending him flying through a table. He tried to reach for the remote in that time, but Control Freak had enough sense to kick him back which in turn sent Beetle flying back at the same time.

“Ha, nice try bug.” Control Freak taunted, easily getting up while Chatte Noire landed next to Beetle who shook his head. “But you’ll have to do better than that.”

He then got in a stance, making some noises.

“Cause I know Kung-Fu.”

Beetle just stared at the stereotypical fashion he said that, especially with the fake accent and he was having a hard time deciding if he should be offended or not given how he’s half-chinese.

Then he decided he didn’t care.

“Lucky Charm!” Beetle threw his yo-yo up, ready to get the item they would need to beat this Akuma.

From how long the fight has gone on, he’s pretty sure that Control Freak must be getting pretty tired which would help with whatever plan he has to come up with-.

The item fell in Beetle’s hand making him stare.

“A lighter?”

What was he supposed to do, light him on fire?!

“Well at least after this we’ll be lighter than him.” Chatte Noire said, no hesitation showing at all with Beetle just giving her a ‘really’ look at the obvious pun there.

“Oh haha fat jokes, very punny.” Control Freak mocked, not even thinking the lighter to be threatening while Beetle quickly looked around for something to use-.

His eyes zoomed in on the indoor sprinklers and just like that it clicked.

No… It couldn’t be.

Still it was better than nothing.

“Chatte, follow my lead.” Beetle said, having a plan.

“Sorry but this ends now.” Control Freak proclaimed, bringing the chairs and tables in the food court to life, the tables standing up with the legs bending to slam into the heroes while the chairs hopped towards them.

Weaving around them, Chatte ran by the wall where some pillars were, throwing her hand out. “Cataclysm!”

With her power activated, she ran her hand across the wall, the decaying feature reaching the pillars supporting the second floor causing it to come crashing down with Control Freak panicking.

He went to use his powers to escape through the camera only to see it destroyed and just like that it clicked on what Beetle was doing while he was focused on Chatte just in time for him to be buried beneath the debris.

Beetle however used the debris to run up the next floor, launching his yo-yo to one of the bigger support pillars, reeling himself in until he was right beneath one of the sprinklers where he casually used the lighter right beneath the sprinkler.

Right when Control Freak busted through the debris, bringing it to life in order to hit Chatte Noire who vaulted away with her staff and that was when the sprinklers went off, the water spraying everywhere.

The effect was immediate with Control Freak’s remote sparking, the objects brought to life dying all around them as Control Freak tried to press the buttons with a look of shock.

“No, no this can’t be.” He denied trying to comprehend that the magic remote he gained through being akumatized wasn’t freaking waterproof. “This isn’t possible!”

He was so distracted that he didn’t see Chatte Noire swing her staff, catching his legs to send him crashing down, the remote flying up into the air while Beetle jumped down grabbing it, slamming it on the ground where it shattered, releasing the Akuma that he purified.

Once that was done, he threw the lighter into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

As the damage was being repaired, with the water stopping, Control Freak faded away as Alexander blinked in confusion. “What happened? Where am I?” He asked in complete confusion considering the last thing he remembered was being home before he saw a sight that stunned him.

“Pound it!” He saw the two heroes of Paris doing what was starting to become their signature fist bump and like that it clicked.

He was Akumatized.

“No way, Beetle and Chatte Noire?!” He asked in excitement, getting their attention. “Oh man, it's an honor to meet both of you!”

“Heh thanks.” Chatte Noire said with ease, very used to fans from her other life while Beetle looked a bit unnerved.

Any further conversation was cut off when their Miraculous beeped.

“Sorry about this but I have to bug out.” Beetle said right before realizing what he said as Chatte Noire gave him a knowing smirk. “I blame you.”

Her puns were starting to rub off on him.

They ran off as Alexander watched before wincing as he recognized where he was at.

He should get home.

* * *

“Just you wait Beetle and Chatte Noire,” Hawk Moth said in a low tone that promised pain, these continued failures infuriating him. “One day you will fall to my Akumas and I will have the last laugh.”

* * *

Maron was really tired as he made it back to school.

The whole fight with Control Freak barely took maybe twenty minutes and with how Paris was starting to get used to the Akuma attacks, they decided against cancelling the rest of school for the day.

So he had to make it home to grab his backpack, barely making it to his roof when the transformation wore off and then run to the school.

Rushing towards the steps, Maron was rather surprised when someone called his name.

Turning, he tensed at seeing Annette who was closing the door to the car she was in, the girl walking up to him as he panicked.

Oh man what was going on?

What did Annette want? Did he do something?

“A-Annette, w-what do can I-I mean Can do wha--you for what,” Maron kept stumbling over his words right as the girl made it to him, patiently waiting for him to finish much to his surprise. “W-What can I do for you?”

To answer the question, Annette reached into her bag and pulled the scarf out and just like that Maron felt a lump in his throat in realization.

D-Did Nino tell her-?

“Do you remember back during the contest, you said that you put your signature on everything you made?” Annette asked, not waiting for Maron to answer. “I remembered seeing the scarf in your book when Alya was flipping through it and it made me wonder why you had it in there.”

Maron said nothing looking down, unsure of what to say without screwing it up.

Seeing that he wasn’t answering, Annette continued remembering the text she got from Nino while she was helping Beetle out with Control Freak along with the advice that Beetle gave her. “I told Nino and he said he would ask you but you wouldn't give him an answer,” She revealed, surprising Maron further. “Why?”

“W-Why what?” Maron asked, not meeting her eyes as he looked away.

“You clearly made it, why did you lie?” Annette asked, finally getting to the point. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth when I thought it was from my father?”

Not seeing a way out of this, Maron sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think of how to explain without messing up his words.

‘ _ Just talk like you’re talking to Alya. _ ’ Maron told himself.

“You were happy.”

Those three words confused Annette as she waited for him to continue.

“When you thought it came from Mr. Agreste you loved the gift,” Maron continued, tightly clutching the strap to his backpack from his nerves, keeping himself from looking at her. “I… want-I didn’t want to take that away from you.”

Nothing else was said after Maron got that out, the boy was amazed he was able to say as much as he did to Annette before almost screwing up at the end.

That was progress.

Annette on the other hand stared in surprise, not expecting that answer. “Maron, I practically threw the work you put in this back at your face.” She said, remembering how she said it was from her father to his face.

Now that she thought about it, she remembered seeing surprise on his face, but she chalked it up to him hearing how her Dad was from Nino.

What kind of friend was she if she did that?

“You didn’t,” Maron surprised himself by how quickly he said that. “You loved it and that was enough for me.”

But now that was gone, all because he put his name on there out of habit.

He almost flinched when Annette placed her hand on his shoulder. “I love the scarf either way, I just wish you told me.”

Yes it did hurt to discover that it didn’t come from her father, but it came from something better. From a friend that she wanted to get to know better.

Maron’s face was turning red from hearing that she liked the scarf before the bell rang, making his eyes widen. “Ah-w-we’re late.”

“Race you?” Annette offered with a grin, making Maron splutter, the boy not expecting that before she ran on ahead, leaving him in the dust.

“Maron,” Tikki hissed, trying to get him to snap out of it. “You need to hurry.”

Maron gave a nod and ran to get to class, but he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.

* * *

It didn’t take too long for Alexander to make it home, guilt flowing through him after what happened.

While he couldn’t remember much of what happened during his time Akumatized, he did see the News on his phone that showed how he was.

Sure the powers he got were pretty amazing, but the way he used them.

The small petty revenge against Albertson was bad enough, but trying to take down the Heroes of Paris?

That was another thing.

Closing the door behind him, Alexander heard his phone buzzed and sighed, checking it only to blink in surprise.

It was a text from Albertson.

‘ _ After tomorrow be sure to come in around nine in the morning, I’ll need an extra hand around the store. _ ’

Alexander re-read it to make sure he wasn't making a mistake.

W-Was he rehired? Seriously?

You would think after being attacked by him as an Akuma the man would want nothing more to do with him.

Another text showed up.

‘ _ Just remember, don’t slack off. _ ’

Alexander gave a small laugh, relief flooding through him.

He had another chance.

No way he was screwing this one up.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay definitely my shortest chapter in this particular story but given how long it is and it’s a completely original chapter that isn’t based on an episode I think it’s good enough.
> 
> Especially because it plays out like an episode if you think about it, I tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible and even had a small side plot going along with the scarf thing, I did say that Annette would get answers on it and hopefully I did good on the scene where she asked Maron why he lied.
> 
> There was some slight awkwardness between Maron and Nino but that’s because they haven’t interacted as much compared to others yet and I’m still developing the friendships between the characters between episodes.
> 
> For example the two people that Maron interacts with the most as friends are Alya and Chatte Noire without him knowing that Chatte is his crush, so he's more comfortable around them compared to the others and the same is for Annette even if she’s more at ease interacting with other people in comparison.
> 
> I also didn’t type the other characters because they have their own roles in future episodes that I don’t want to screw up and I don’t have a handle on their personalities fully yet which I’ll get into when I do get around to typing them.
> 
> More than that I’m wondering how many people caught the references I had with Control Freak.
> 
> First there’s his name considering how he didn’t have a name in Teen Titans.
> 
> Jeffery comes from the Simpsons Comic Book Guy who Control Freak is sort of based off of. Fun fact Albertson was also the last name of the comic book guy which I used for the name of the boss that Control Freak worked for in this story. Alexander was the name of Control Freaks voice actor.
> 
> I also did some research on places in Paris and found the Beaugrenelle which I used for the setting for the main fight in this chapter-I don’t know the stores or if it has a food court or not because I’ve never been to Paris, hell I’ve never been out of America before and I researched hours on it before winging it, sorry if a lot of it wasn't correct, which I'm certain it isn't, I tried my best here. I did learn it's at least a good ten minute walk from the Eiffel Tower which is why I used it.
> 
> Another fun fact, turns out Tom and Sabine's bakery actually exists along with the owners having a daughter named Marinette which blew my mind when it popped up while I was researching places to use that were both in the show and real.
> 
> I mean wow, didn’t see that coming.
> 
> Still I think this chapter is as good as I can get it for the moment so hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Alright good night everyone, I’m heading to bed.


	6. Stormy Weather

Maron sighed as he found himself once more in a situation where he would need everything he learned to survive.

The added experience of being Beetle should make this easy, yet he was up against a very conniving opponent and without his partner he was alone in this fight.

“Manon, give that back!” Maron exclaimed, chasing the little girl that he babysat every now and then, the little girl having one of his hats that he’s been working on, giving a laugh as she did so. “You’re going to break it.”

Manon Chamack was just a five year old with tanned skin and messy brown hair pulled into pigtails, wearing a white shirt and purple denim overalls that had flower designs on it, her buck teeth more prominent as she grinned from the fun she was having.

“No, I want to be a fashion designer too!” Manon decided, now wearing the hat as she jumped on the couch, only to jump off when Manon tried to grab her, both of them ignoring the TV that was currently on, showing some sort of competition.

It was a contest for a new weather girl, the contestants being Aurore Beaureal a blonde girl with pigtails and blue eyes carrying an umbrella and wearing a blue dress while Mireille Caquet a rather shy girl with a black bowl-cut and brown eyes wore a long sleeved blue shirt with a cloud design and white jeans.

“ _ The Final of KIDZ+! Who will be the lucky girl who will be our new Weathercaster?! _ ” The Announcer was a well-built bald man wearing a blue shirt and white pants. “ _ Only one will be chosen among a total of 5000 candidates. These amazing two talented girls our viewers voted by text messages have made it all the way to the finals! _ ”

Seeing Manon going under the table, Maron tried to follow only for the girl to take off and he went to stand up, hitting his head underneath the table in the process, making him lose track of where the kid went.

How was he getting outsmarted by a five year old?!

Looking around as he heard giggling, Maron gained a mischievous look as he saw the curtain by the window hiding a bulge that wasn’t there before, so he tiptoed his way towards it before flinging the curtain open, only to blink in surprise as the hat was on a doll sitting in a chair.

‘ _ This kid is good. _ ’ Maron couldn’t help but think in response to how difficult it was to look after this kid.

“I’m going to vote for Mireille, she’s the best.” Manon said, making Maron turn to see her with the teenager’s phone watching TV, eliciting for him to grab the phone, but then Manon took the hat back as she ran off with the teen hanging his head.

“Why did I agree to do this again?” Maron muttered to himself when Tikki popped up, making him panic. “Stay low Tikki!”

The last thing he needed was for Manon to see Tikki.

“Don’t worry, if you can handle Manon for a day then any villain from here on out will be a piece of cake.” Tikki told him, finding the situation both amusing and adorable.

That was when the doorbell rang, confusing Maron considering he wasn’t expecting anyone, so he walked towards the door and opened it as Tikki hid once again. “Alya?”

Alya grinned at his surprise. “I just got a huge scoop for you,” She said, further confusing Maron before she pulled out her phone. “Guess who’s doing a photoshoot in the park?”

Seeing the picture on the phone, Maron gasped and grabbed the phone. “Now?! Annette is in the park right now?!”

“As we speak.” Alya confirmed, looking amused at how obvious Maron was being. “You want to swing by and try to speak with her?”

“W-What would I even say?” Maron asked given how Annette was most likely working at the moment.

He didn’t want to interrupt that.

“How about the same thing as usual?” Alya asked, grinning before she imitated how Maron was. “I… Uh… dahee… Ahhh. Uhhh… Wha…”

“Okay knock it off,” Maron rolled his eyes despite the smile he was sporting. “I’ve been doing better.”

Ever since Annette spoke to him about the scarf he’s been slowly getting better at speaking to her, enough to where he could almost say a complete sentence.

“When you’re forced into a conversation with her and that barely happens.” Alya poked a hole in his confidence making him slump.

“I-uh-I don’t want to rush it.” Maron muttered to himself, giving Alya her phone back. “I never liked someone like this before, so I don’t know what to do.”

Feeling some small hands on his legs, Maron looked down to see Manon between his legs, looking up at Alya with curiosity on her face. “Who’s she?”

“Whoops, I forgot about this little detail.” Maron gave a sheepish laugh while Alya gave a friendly smile to the little kid.

“And who’s this?”

“That’s Manon, she’s the daughter of a friend of my mothers, so I’m stuck babysitting her this afternoon-,” Just like that the smile slid off Maron’s face. “So I won’t be able to go out today.”

“Let me guess,” Alya had a good idea of what happened given how she’s gotten to know Maron for the last month and a half. “Another favor you couldn’t say no to?”

Maron didn’t dignify that with a response, proving her right.

“Alright, no problem I can look after your little detail for you.” Alya offered, earning a grateful look from Maron before Manon took off running back into the room.

“That’s nice of you, but she’s my responsibility,” Maron said, used to Manon due to the number of times he’s babysat her in the past. “Besides she’s an angel-.”

A loud crash made his eyes widen as he took off with Alya poking her head in to see a pile of pans on the floor with Manon now running, wearing a pan like a helmet and wielding a spatula.

“Manon, put that down right now!” Maron ordered trying to catch her while Alya actually found herself worried before seeing the electric plugs covered and the sharp tools up high and out of reach of the kid along with the cleaning chemicals.

Clearly they were expecting something like this.

“No that’s not a toy-” Maron was cut off by a loud whacking sound. “Ow! You don’t hit people with spatulas!”

It was like watching a train wreck for Alya, it was so bad yet she couldn’t look away before she saw that Manon hit the nearby broom with the spatula, making it fall in Maron’s path as he tripped over it and fell towards the nearby table, his chin catching it.

That caused Alya to run in considering that looked really painful.

“Angel, right.” Alya said, sarcasm in her tone as that could’ve seriously hurt Maron, who was dazed and now rubbing his chin in pain. “Have you ever given her a time out?”

“Alya she’s five, she doesn’t know better.” Maron tried to say, but Alya shook her head.

“That’s where you’re wrong, you’re encouraging that behavior by saying that, I babysat my younger sisters all the time,” Alya revealed with Maron looking surprised that she had siblings. “You need to enforce the rules you have, otherwise they’ll walk all over you.”

“I don’t want to scare her.” Maron said, not sure what to make of that given how he knew Manon loved being here whenever he did babysit.

When she wasn’t being rambunctious like this, she really was an angel… At times.

“Sorry, but at this point it’s the only way, you need to make her listen to you and to do that you need to punish her when she’s doing something wrong,” Alya crossed her arms, seeing Manon still wielding the spatula like it was a sword. “How else will she learn?”

Maron hesitated, still not too sure about that.

“If it bothers you, then talk to her Mom about it.” Alya suggested, seeing that he wasn’t comfortable about the idea of scaring Manon.

It was sweet, but the boy needed to learn to be firm at times.

“I’ll… Uh keep that in mind.”

Manon pouted as she walked over, annoyed at being ignored. “Is she your girlfriend?”

That question startled the two before they chuckled much to Manon’s confusion.

“No offense Maron, but you’re not my type.” Alya said with Maron giving a nod of agreement.

“None taken and no Manon, Alya is just a friend.”

Manon tilted her head to the side. “But she’s a girl and she’s a friend.” She said, placing a finger on her chin. “That’s a girlfriend, right?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older.” Maron ruffled her hair, earning a pout given how she hated that answer.

Why can’t she know now?

“Besides, Maron likes blondes.” Alya had a grin on her face as she said that with Maron going red, trying to get her to stop. “And green eyes-.”

“Okay, no need to go into detail Alya.” Maron interrupted while Manon looked between the two before shrugging, not getting what was going on.

“So why are you here?” Manon asked Alya who smirked before bending over to be at eye level with the little girl.

“I’m a mythical unicorn from the magical lands of Respa, disguised as a totally fabulous human girl,” She began making Manon’s eyes go wide. “I grant magical wishes, but only to little monkeys who behave.”

She ended that by poking Manon’s nose, making her giggle.

Maron just watched with an amused look, the teen was certain that this wouldn’t work.

“No you’re not.” Manon said, but a few seconds later, she gained an uncertain look. “Are you?”

‘ _ That worked?! _ ’ Maron thought in shock before Alya suddenly grabbed Manon, spinning her in the air, depositing the kid on Maron’s shoulders for an impromptu piggyback ride.

“Come on, I’ll give you babysitting tips on the way to the park.” Alya said walking out, Manon’s eyes lighting up at the idea of going to the park, leaving for Maron to sigh with a grin.

Perhaps today won’t be so bad after all?

* * *

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long!” The Announcer for the contest said as a timer was going down to cast the votes. “Finally the voting results of viewers have just come out. Who will be the new weathercaster for KIDZ+?”

Aurore and Mireille both looked ready for it to end, while Aurore looked confident that she would win, Mireille was downright nervous and on edge right when the votes showed on the TV.

“It’s Mireille!” As people cheered, Aurore looked like she wasn’t taking it very well if the way she was gripping her parasol was any indication while the Announcer stood by her clapping. “Man she crushed you, better luck next time, eh?”

He was however surprised when Aurore stomped off, making him frown.

“What’s with you? You only lost by half a million votes.” He called out, making her feel worse.

* * *

Hawk Moth grinned as once more he could feel the negative emotions of embarrassment and anger.

“I feel your anger at a simmer,” He said, finding the feeling intoxicating in a way as white butterflies flew all around him. “All that hatred and negativity is just what I need. You will be unable to resist the temptation.”

Holding his hand out, he once more corrupted a butterfly.

“Fly my Akuma.”

* * *

Back with Aurore she was pressing the button on the elevator trying to get out before tears could show, not wanting anyone to see her cry. Thankfully she managed to get in there before it happened and hung her head as the doors closed, pressing her back against the wall.

“It makes no sense, it should be me for a weather forecaster, I should’ve won.” Aurore whispered some tears falling her pride making it hard for her to accept this. “Why did she win?! What does she have that I don’t?”

She desperately wanted that role because it would’ve helped cement her dream of being a TV star, but now she believes it was hopeless and in her angry pride she blamed Mireille despite that deep down she knew it wasn’t her fault.

If given time to cool off she would’ve made a vow to try harder, however fate had other plans as the elevator came to a sudden stop, the action making Aurore fall on her butt right as the lights went out.

Fear began to overcome Aurore right as she saw a dark butterfly forcing its way through the door crack of the elevator, knowing exactly what it was as it flew closer Aurore swung her parasol to keep it away before opening it in fear right as the butterfly landed and dark energy began to consume the parasol.

Immediately dark thoughts began to occupy Aurore’s mind as a voice began to speak to her, the outline of a mask going across her face. ‘ **_You’re right, the winner should’ve been you,_ ** ’ Hawk Moth said in a soothing tone. ‘ **_And yet it was stolen from you._ ** ’

“Stolen?” Aurore whispered in fury standing up, her mind being clouded by thoughts of revenge. “How dare they.”

‘ **_Stormy Weather I am Hawkmoth,_ ** ’ Hawk Moth introduced himself, still keeping the soothing tone. ‘ **_As my weather forecaster, I’ll give you a chance to have your revenge on those people. In return I want you to retrieve the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous for me, can you do that?_ ** ’

“Yes sir.” Aurore whispered as her whole form began to change to where she had pale skin and light purple-gray eyes. Her pigtails now were striped with dark purple and periwinkle spirals and a jagged mask-like paint going across her eyes, the ends having lightning bolts. Her dress was replaced with a muted purple dress that had lightning bolt patterns.

‘ **_Good, now show them who the real weather forecaster really is._ ** ’ Hawkmoth said, sending her out as her Parasol was now purple with a white snowball on the tip watching as she left, giving a dark giggle.

* * *

Maron felt really nervous as they were now at the park where Annette’s photo shoot was going on and he had no idea what to do, watching as the cameraman who wore a white shirt and plaid pants was doing some eccentric poses with each shot.

Yes he was getting better at talking to Annette, but she was working and he didn’t want to interrupt her as he, Alya and Manon could see the blonde from a distance.

Said blonde was wearing the hat from the fashion contest with a synthesized feather to ensure that her allergies wouldn’t make the photoshoot difficult. Seeing the hat made Maron happy as he remembered the hard work he put into it.

“Maybe this is a bad idea.” Maron whispered while Alya rolled her eyes.

“You were excited about coming here a second ago.”

“Yes, but now what if we do something that interrupts? What if it's so bad I get a restraining order?”

He really didn’t want to do anything that would warrant that.

“I really doubt that Annette would go that far.” Alya told him, though she kept quiet about what her father might do after hearing about the man from Nino.

But the man seemed to like Maron given how he impressed the fashion designer with his hat, still they shouldn’t push it.

“Look the park is a public place and we’re here with Manon, so they won’t think we’re here for the photo shoot.” Alya reminded Maron. “As long as we don’t actively get in the way we’re good.”

And she’s here to make sure that Maron wouldn’t get ‘creepy’ with how he acts, the memory of him hiding to watch Annette at the school entrance on her birthday comes to mind.

She knows by now that he doesn’t try to be creepy, he just doesn’t know how to handle having a crush and can be awkward at times which results in him trying to keep his distance.

Thinking on that, Maron gave a nod knowing that Alya had a point.

Just don’t get too close and don’t cause a scene, shouldn’t be too hard-. Was that Manon walking towards the photo shoot?

“Oh no.” Alya seemed to see the same thing while Maron panicked and ran after her, trying to stop the kid.

* * *

Back at the Contest Building, Mireille was holding a trophy as she got in the elevator with an elated look, unable to believe she actually won. Truth be told she figured that Aurore had it in the bag as confidence is what they were looking for in the TV business.

As the elevator opened however, evil laughter made her eyes widen as she saw ‘Aurore’ looking vastly different yet she was able to easily see who it was. “I’m Stormy Weather. I’m the only one who can forecast the weather perfectly,” She said, with Mireille pressing her back to the wall in fear recognizing the symptoms for being Akumatized as it’s been shown on the News what’s happened this last month. “Oh and there’s nothing you can do about it. Looks like a strange cold front is about to come your way. Right now!”

With that said ice blasted from her Parasol trapping her in the elevator as Mireille hit her hand on the ice. “Help! Please anybody?!” She called out in fear while Stormy Weather gave a low chuckle at seeing her trapped and helpless.

* * *

“Magnifico! Super!” The cameraman said in excitement as he snapped pictures while Annette smiled rather awkwardly from how he was acting but going with the flow rather easily. “Come on now, I want to see the hunger in your eyes-.”

He stopped when he saw the Manon right behind Annette and frowned.

“Who is this child?!” He asked, not taking another picture, leaving for Annette to turn and see Manon looking up at her curiously.

Not wanting the kid to be scared, Annette smiled at Manon. “Hello.” She greeted, not seeing the harm given how young this kid seemed.

Manon stared up at Annette before tilting her head as she remembered Alya talking about Maron liking blonde hair and green eyes and made a guess. “Are you Maron’s girlfriend?”

That made Annette’s eyes widen, not expecting that question, or for this girl to say Maron’s name-.

“ **_MANON!_ ** ” Maron sounded mortified as he was close enough to hear that, rushing up, looking like he was about to have a stroke. “I am so sorry for this.”

He should’ve stayed home.

“Manon come on, you’re interrupting their work.” Maron tried to get the kid to follow him while the cameraman was getting impatient.

“Excuse me but will you take that child somewhere else? You’re making quite the distraction.”

“S-Sorry.” Maron whispered, especially when he saw the nearby bodyguard heading in their direction.

But then he saw something that could work.

“Manon you see the balloons, you come with me and I’ll get you one.” He said, hoping that would work and Manon smiled, hugging his leg.

Relieved that worked, Maron smiled awkwardly at Annette. “S-Sorry bothering for you-wait that’s not right-.” By now the bodyguard was close enough to stare down Maron who smiled sheepishly. “B-Bye.”

Alya shook her head at what happened, watching as Maron walked towards the balloons showing the faces of the two weather girl finalists.

That could’ve gone better.

Annette just waved by rather awkwardly, not sure what to say after that strange encounter.

But she won’t lie, it did get rid of some of the boredom that she felt during this photo shoot.

‘ _ I didn’t know Maron had a sibling. _ ’ Annette came to the wrong conclusion on who that kid was before putting it in the back of her mind for the moment.

“Now imagine the spaghetti!” The cameraman continued with Annette quickly smiling to get this over with.

Seeing that, Alya sighed and walked off to follow Maron and Manon.

* * *

“Where’s Mireille?” Stormy Weather walked outside, hearing that question from the crowd making her mood plummet even further from annoyance.

“Urgh! You guys are the ones who voted for Mireille?” She asked, raising her Parasol. “Then it’d be better to run and hide because the biggest storm is about to break in a few minutes.”

Then she grinned a bit sadistically.

“Oh, no. It looks like it’s too late.”

With that she swung the parasol, wind kicking up to knock the civilians back, giving a laugh as they screamed in terror before she took off flying towards the park, giving a glare when she saw countless reminders of Mireille.

* * *

“Thank you.” Maron said, buying the balloon, to give to Manon.

“Mireille is the coolest.” Manon cheered, happy to have the balloon representing the winner before something else caught her interest. “Hey Maron, can we go on the Merry-Go-Round?”

Maron hesitated, Alya’s words about him being firm came to mind considering he did have to bribe Manon to avoid causing an incident with Annette’s job and he was considering just taking her back home to avoid another incident.

But Manon seemed to sense that and started to do the puppy dog eyes, making his resolve crack.

Just one time on the Merry-Go-Round.

“Come on.” Maron said with a sigh, smiling at how Manon looked happy.

“She has you wrapped around her finger.” Alya commented, reaching them while Maron shrugged in silent agreement.

But he did glance back towards the photo shoot, seeing Annette take her hat off, to idly brush a strand of hair behind her ear and his breath hitched a bit.

He would’ve stared for hours if he didn’t feel Alya elbow him, reminding the teen that he had a job to do and he should know by now not to take his eyes off of Manon for more than a second.

Thankfully this time she waited, rather impatiently for him.

If he did continue to stare however he would’ve noticed how Annette yawned with a tired expression, leaving for the cameraman to groan in frustration. “No, no, no, the girl has eaten too much of the spaghetti, this won’t do,” He cupped his chin in thought. “We need something different, more energy, more… Romance. We need a boy!”

Looking around, the cameraman saw countless boys but they were either too young or too old for what he was going for and that was before he gained an idea and snapped his fingers. “Where is that boy from earlier?”

He seemed the right age.

Eventually he saw him at the Merry-Go-Round and rushed over there, eliciting a strange look from Annette who didn’t hear his rambling.

But she was happy for a small break, taking her phone out to see for any new updates on the Beetleblog.

“You!” Maron jumped as the cameraman ran towards him. “I need an extra!”

“Huh?” Maron asked, a bit dumbfounded by what just happened.

Didn’t this man just chase him away?

“Extra?” Alya asked for him considering how Maron looked a bit too surprised to speak.

“Si, to pose with Ms. Annette.”

Those words made Maron’s eyes widen further in disbelief while Alya grinned mischievously. “He’ll do it.” She said, pushing him towards the cameraman who grabbed his wrist and began pulling him towards the photo shoot.

“W-Wait but what about Manon?! I’m babysitting her!” Maron tried to free himself, but Alya waved that off as he got further away.

“You take care of your business and I’ll take care of miss unicorn here,” Alya promised him. “You don’t know how to control her anyways.”

“No!” Manon protested, seeing Maron getting dragged off. “Maron is my babysitter!”

“Unicorns unite!” Alya exclaimed, jumping on the ride of the Merry-Go-Round, gesturing for Manon to join her. “Let’s go to Rispa and find some sad little kids to grant those wishes! Yee-haw!”

The excitement that Alya was outputting was enough for Manon to copy her action. “Yee-haw!”

* * *

Annette glanced up from her phone, a bit surprised to see her cameraman dragging Maron towards her. “Vincent? What are you doing?” She asked, unsure of what the cameraman was thinking.

He always does something spontaneous for the photoshoots, it’s one of the reasons they were so successful and why her father always hired the man even with his weird obsession with mentioning spaghetti.

“I have brought you an extra to pose with.” Vincent answered, letting go of Maron who rubbed his wrist nervously.

“I wha-gah.” Maron couldn’t form any words, still trying to process what he was literally dragged into.  "Dahee... Uhh."

Heck he was trying to figure out if this happening was good luck or not.

It was fifty-fifty at this point.

And he swears that Tikki was giggling a bit at what was happening, lightly poking him from inside his jacket to help calm him down.

Tilting her head, Annette didn’t seem to mind posing with someone, she’s done it before.

At least this time it’s with a friend.

So she gave a smile at Maron, thinking he was just nervous because of how sudden this was. “Just relax Maron, copy what I do.”

They didn’t get the chance when the screaming started.

That was what knocked Maron out of his nervousness, his Beetle personality taking over a bit, especially when he saw the Merry-Go-Round being encased by ice while Stormy Weather was above it.

“Akuma?!” Both Maron and Annette asked in shock, neither of them waiting to see what the other was doing as they took off in different directions, Annette’s bodyguard attempted to follow her only for a crowd of people who were running from the danger to block him while Vincent quickly took off to hide.

* * *

Hiding behind a tree, Maron glanced around, not seeing anyone before Tikki flew out of his jacket. “Not going to lie, I’m relieved I wasn’t on the Merry-Go-Round now.” He said, knowing that if he was he would’ve been trapped, unable to transform.

Especially if he had to look after Manon while this was happening.

“Manon will be safe with Alya, Paris needs Beetle.” Tikki reminded him as Maron gave a nod.

“Alright then. Tikki, Spots On!”

* * *

Making it out of sight, Annette opened her bag to see a certain Kwami missing. “Oh come on-Plagg?! Where are you?!”

She really needs to find a way to get him to stay in her bag.

Looking around, not hearing an answer, Annette sighed and reached in to pull out a container of Camembert, popping it open.

It took a few seconds but it seemed to work given how Plagg came out of nowhere.

“Where were you?” Annette asked, seeing Plagg dive into the container.

“Sleeping and yes I can smell Camembert in my sleep thank you very much,” The Kwami said, earning an eye roll from Annette. “It’s just one of my many special talents.”

“Gee, what a great talent,” Annette sarcastically replied, earning a look. “But we don’t have time to talk about cheese. Plagg, Claws Out!”

“Wait, let me finish the Came-.” Plagg tried, but he was absorbed into the ring before he could finish.

* * *

Instead of going after the Akuma, Beetle landed right by the frozen Merry-Go-Round only seeing Alya and Manon in there, their eyes lighting up at seeing him. “Don’t worry I’ll get you out of here!” He promised, trying to come up with a plan as quickly as he could.

Remembering how his yo-yo worked, Beetle figured he could use it to cut through the ice, so he threw it, watching the wire wrap around the ice and pulled.

Sadly it didn’t work, the ice was too slippery for it to cut through and the yo-yo slipped off and smacked Beetle in the face.

“Ow, so much for that.” Beetle muttered before having a scary thought.

If it did work he might’ve accidentally wire cut them before he could’ve stopped it. So looking back it was a good thing it didn’t work.

Still if he couldn’t get them out, that meant he was stuck with Plan B which was to deal with the Akuma and his Miraculous Ladybug will deal with the ice.

So he crouched in front of the ice, being at eye-level with Manon who looked scared. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay.” He said, trying to keep her calm.

“W-Where’s Maron?” Manon asked, her lip quivering from fear.

“He hasn’t forgotten about you Manon.” Beetle promised, only for the fear to dissipate into confusion.

“How do you know my name?”

The question made Beetle tense for a split second before he came up with an excuse. “Maron told me, I had to get him to evacuate with the other people who weren’t trapped, he said something about you being on the Merry-Go-Round.” He said, hoping that she would believe that. “He’ll come back for you after Chat Noir and I take care of the Akuma, but you need to keep calm, can I count on you to do that?”

Manon didn’t look too sure, but Alya placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Beetle knows what he’s doing.” She said, having faith in the heroes before she gave Beetle a thumbs up. “I’ll keep her safe until we’re free.”

Beetle gave a nod. “I’m counting on you.” He said, knowing he could trust her before he turned and swung his yo-yo at a nearby light post, using that to launch himself into the air to chase after the Akuma.

* * *

Stormy Weather frowned as she caused people to leave the park, shooting lightning from her Umbrella.

Shouldn’t the heroes be here after all? She can’t keep her promise to Hawk Moth for getting her revenge if they don’t show up.

“Hey Ice Queen,” The nickname alone made her spin around in anger, only to see Chatte Noire perched on top of the fence. “What’s with all the terrorizing? Why don’t you pick on someone your own temperature?”

“My name is not Ice Queen,” Stormy Weather snarled, having flashbacks to being called that growing up due to her pride. “It’s Stormy Weather.”

“Listen, I’m feline more generous than usual today,” Chatte Noire said, taking the chance for another pun as she easily slid down the fence, idly spinning her tail with her other hand in the process. “So why don’t you cool down and we’ll call it quits, okay?”

In response the the question and puns, Stormy Weather gained a deadpanned look and aimed her umbrella, opening it to cause a gust of wind to blasting a now screaming Chatte Noire off the ground and sent her flying at least two blocks away where she landed in the street, groaning in slight pain.

Heck of a way to find out she could survive that.

Her ears twitched when she heard someone land next to her. “And here I thought cats always land on their feet,” She smiled at hearing Beetle’s voice and opened her eyes to see him holding a hand out to help her up. “You alright Chatte?”

“I’m feline fine, my prince,” Chatte Noire accepted the hand with a flirty grin, easily pulling herself up. “Even better now that you’re here.”

“No time for flirting Chatte, we have a job to do.” Beetle was a bit surprised by that because while Chat Noir insinuated stuff like that before, it wasn’t to that degree.

Perhaps it was one of her jokes?

They weren’t able to continue when Stormy Weather landed across the street from them, the two getting into stances as she grinned. “We should be expecting lightning storms, like right now!” She shot a bolt of lightning from her Umbrella into the sky, making it darken.

‘ _ Why do the bad guys get the more intimidating powers? _ ’ Beetle thought in fear, seeing a pattern with the villains getting more dangerous as time went on.

Was it because Hawk Moth was using his powers more?

“Oh hail.” Chatte Noire whispered, using a weather pun to sum up how this was going to hurt right when a bolt of lightning shot down, almost hitting them if Beetle didn’t tackle her out of the way, the blast knocking them further away.

The two rolled on the ground a bit before ending with Chatte Noire on top of Beetle.

That wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t one little detail.

Chatte Noire pulled her head back as Beetle blinked twice, trying to comprehend the accidental kiss that just happened before the blonde grinned at him.

Trying not to flush, Beetle turned her head towards Stormy Weather, reminding her that they had a villain to deal with.

Quickly getting up, Chatte Noire began to rush at Stormy Weather while Beetle slowly pushed himself up, trying to compose himself.

Did that seriously just happen?!

“Black Ice!” Stormy Weather exclaimed, aiming her umbrella at the street, covering it in ice, watching as Chatte Noire fell, trying to regain her balance.

Seeing that, Beetle narrowed his eyes, staring right at the umbrella, now realizing where the Akuma was.

They needed to destroy that.

Stormy Weather then created another wind blast, using Chatte’s lack of balance and friction to send her flying back while Beetle wrapped his yo-yo around a street light before he could be blown back, grabbing Chatte Noire by the tail right before she passed him.

“Got you.” Beetle said only to pause as he heard her hiss from her tail being grabbed. “Did you just hiss?!”

“N-No.” Chatte Noire actually sounded embarrassed by that action before the wind died down.

Without the wind, the two just crashed into the ground, a bit stunned as Stormy Weather slowly approached before seeing a TV showing Mireille on the side of the building.

Snarling, Stormy Weather blew it up, giving the heroes a chance to recover.

“Let’s take the wind out of her sails-.” Chatte Noire hissed again when Maron grabbed her tail before she could run off. “Will you quit it with the tail?!”

“Stop running before you look and then I will kitty cat,” Beetle said, filing away the fact that she hissed a second time to bring up later. “She’s countering everything we’re doing and I think rushing in will just have us be blown away again.”

Freeing her tail, Chatte Noire began to pet it. “You have a plan?” She asked right as Stormy Weather turned back towards them, eyes narrowing at how they were still there.

“We could run on the side of the building to surprise her-no she would see that coming.” Beetle was getting better at coming up with plans on the fly before remembering how she blew up the TV. “What was on there?”

“I think it was the winner of that Weathercaster competition-.” Chatte Noire was cut off as Stormy Weather screamed in fury at hearing that, this time using her wind to fling cars at them. “She’s yeeting cars at us!”

Eyes widening, the two separated, dodging the cars left and right, nearly being crushed before they saw a bus being thrown at them.

Thinking quickly, Beetle grabbed Chatte Noire and held her still while twirling his yo-yo above them as fast as he could despite how Chatte was struggling to free herself at seeing the vehicle about to hit them. “What are you doing?!”

“Just trust me!” Beetle shouted back, hoping this would work right when the bus landed on them.

Thankfully his actions actually cut a hole in the bus big enough to fit them inside so they weren’t crushed.

Slowly letting the yo-yo come to a stop, Beetle winced as it landed on Chatte’s head. “Ow!”

“Heh, sorry?” Beetle apologized with a sheepish chuckle, remembering how that hurts.

“It’s fine.” Chatte Noire replied, rubbing her head, listening for if Stormy Weather kept the attack up. “Sorry for doubting you there.”

She does trust him, but seeing a bus flying at them would scare anyone.

“I would’ve been surprised if you didn’t.” Beetle didn’t hold that against her before frowning. “You said the billboard showed the winner of the contest?”

Chatte Noire gave a nod. “Yeah, Mireille I think it was.”

Just like that they had a good idea on who was Akumatized. “Losing a competition on live TV would make anyone feel miserable.” Beetle muttered, wishing that Hawk Moth couldn’t use people like that.

* * *

“Lemonade! Crunchy Ice!” Alya was playing a game with Manon while the emergency teams were trying to break the ice to free them, doing whatever she could to keep the young girl from panicking. “Hit it once, hit it twice… Freeze!”

She pulled her hands back, leaving for Manon to pout. “No fair, you always win, Uni.” She said, the sound of the ice cracking making her tense up. “What was that?”

Despite feeling fear herself, Alya quickly adapted. “It’s… The Goblin King! He ate too much and split his shirt.” She said, giving a terrible laugh, making Manon giggle as she began to chase the little girl.

The sound of the ice cracking made them look up to see spikes emerging from above and Alya paled a little.

“Uh, d-do you want to hear a story?” Alya asked, hoping that she could continue to keep her fear down for Manon, leading her back to the Merry-Go-Round.

‘ _ Come on Beetle. _ ’ Alya thought, knowing the heroes had it, but there was the slight fear of what might happen if they didn’t.

But she pushed the fear down and looked at Manon. “Okay Once Upon a Time-.”

* * *

“She’s gone?” Beetle asked, opening the window for the two to climb out of. “You’d think she would press the advantage.”

“You complaining?” Chatte Noire asked, closing the window behind them as they jumped down, eyes peeled for Stormy Weather. “Might be a mist opportunity for her, but maybe she’s feeling under the weather?”

“I just don’t like not seeing the Akuma’s.” Beetle answered, not saying anything to the puns right before the TV despite almost being destroyed turned on to show Stormy Weather.

“ _ Hello Viewers, here’s the latest forecast for the first day of Summer, _ ” She began with a map appearing behind her. “ _ Oh would you look at that? It looks like mother nature had different plans. Summer Vacation is officially over. Expect a blizzard to come through any second. _ ”

“Well at least we know where she is now,” Beetle muttered, crossing his arms, while Chatte grinned. “Most likely a trap given the bait she’s laying out.

“Summer is over already? But I look so good in a swimsuit.” She grinned as Beetle gave her an incredulous look, raising a brow in his direction.

Especially when he turned red.

‘ _ Great, now I have that image in my head. _ ’ Beetle thought, wanting to focus.

“The catsuit will do thanks.” He muttered, hoping to move on from this.

But it seemed to give Chatte Noire an opening. “Oh so you prefer me in leather?”

At that point, Beetle just kept his mouth shut and swung off towards the TVI Studio.

Chatte Noire just chuckled at his reaction and raced off after him, right as the snowstorm was starting.

* * *

Beetle gave a sigh of relief as they made it to the studio right out of the storm that was definitely becoming a blizzard at this moment.

It had to be below freezing temperatures and he hated it.

Blowing air in his hands in an effort to keep himself warm, they moved through the studio towards where the camera room would be, before kicking the door open only to gape at seeing that there was no one in there.

It was all a recording.

‘ _ She played us. _ ’ Beetle realized before they heard a chuckle behind them.

Chatte Noire felt her tail stiffen up as she heard a small crackle of energy and she pushed Beetle out of the way before jumping back as lightning nearly hit them, scorching the spot they were standing in.

Using the momentum to roll to his feet, Beetle gave a nod of thanks to Chatte and readied his weapon only for Stormy Weather to fire another bolt of lightning, this time at the lights, plunging the studio into darkness.

‘ **_This is all going according to plan,_ ** ’ Hawk Moth whispered to Stormy Weather, seeing the damage this one was doing. ‘ **_Soon their Miraculous will be mine. Bring them to me._ ** ’

Chatte Noire blinked at how well she could see in the dark. ‘ _ I have night vision? Cool. _ ’ She thought with a grin, seeing Stormy Weather running off.

“Frosty the Snowgirl is getting away.” Chat Noir went to run after her only to hear a thud, followed by an ‘ow’. “Beetle?”

She turned to see him standing up, his hands out as he tried to move through the dark, going in the opposite direction, only to trip on one of the camera wires.

Quickly seeing the issue, Chatte Noire walked over. “Do I hear my Prince in distress?” She asked in a teasing tone.

“Excuse me for not seeing in the dark.” Beetle retorted, only for Chatte to grab his wrist. “Wha?”

“Then let me be your eyes.” She said leading him through the dark.

* * *

“Then the Cyclops picked the princess up in his hand and said ‘look into my eye’,” Alya continued the story with Manon enraptured by how it went, looking up at her in awe. “Then ‘gluck’ she stuck a finger right in it.”

“What happened next?” Manon asked, wanting to know more, Alya smiling at how the young girl was being.

“As soon as she took a bite of the cursed potato, the poor princess fell into a deep, deep sleep.”

The sound of the ice cracking made Alya pause as an icicle pierced through the top of the Merry-Go-Round right above them with the young teen fearful of how close it was getting.

But she hugged Manon to keep the young girl from being terrified, choosing to believe in the heroes who haven’t let anyone down so far.

They can do this.

* * *

“Okay, I think I can continue fine from here,” Beetle said as they made it to the stairway, only for Chatte to yell duck as an object he couldn’t see barely missed his head. “But I’ll continue to follow your lead.”

He said that last part so meekly that Chatte Noire was almost reminded of when they first met.

But nothing else was said as they made it to the roof where Stormy Weather was waiting for them in the air. “You airheads, you fell right for my trap.” She mocked them, waving her umbrella as a whirlwind surrounded the building.

“Quite the twist wouldn’t you say?” Chatte Noire asked, eyeing the whirlwind with apprehension.

It wouldn’t do much for it to turn into a twister.

‘ **_The time is now, bring me their Miraculous!_ ** ’

Hearing Hawk Moth, Stormy Weather giggled. “There’s no way out, this party is over fools.”

“We’re-.” Beetle brought his fist up only to see that Chatte was still holding his wrist with her giving a rather sheepish smile before letting go. “We’re just getting started.”

So he twirled his yo-yo.

“Lucky Charm.”

Beetle blinked as his power created a red towel that dropped into his hands.

“I swear these items just keep getting more random,” He muttered, turning it over. “What am I supposed to do with a towel?!”

“On the bright side at least we’ll be dry while being obliterated.” Chatte Noire was just as confused by the item right as Stormy Weather made a hailstorm appear.

Thinking quickly, Chatte Noire quickly spun her staff above them, going as fast as she could to keep the hail from hurting them.

“So what’s the plan? I won’t be able to keep this up for long.”

Beetle muttered as he looked around, hoping to find a way for this towel to be useful.

He couldn’t see how it would work, unless it was insulated.

It could be, but he would rather not test it.

Looking around, as a piece of hail made it through and nearly hit him, Beetle saw a HVAC Tube, and a sign, the gears began to turn in his head.

“Check out the sign.” He said with Chatte Noire glancing at it in confusion, but listening with no hesitation.

“Cataclysm,” She activated her power as she ran. “Hey Coldilocks! Is that all you have?”

Hearing the mocking tone, Stormy Weather began to fire lightning at Chatte Noire who began to dodge, keeping her hand with the Cataclysm closed to avoid wasting her power, jumping over an appliance before ducking another bolt, even doing a flip as she landed by a billboard and slid across, lightly touching it with her Cataclysm in the process.

The support for the billboard began to rust as it tipped towards Stormy Weather who glanced at it in surprise, leaving for Beetle to get into position, wrapping his yo-yo around her ankle right as she fired a bolt of lightning to make a hole for her to fly through, the sign knocking the pipe off the fan.

As she did that, Beetle slid under a pipe, ensuring that the wire of the yo-yo followed him and kicked off of a nearby spinning crane to land on the fan, unfolding the towel in the process.

That act had the effect of sending him up in the air, pulling on the yo-yo to hold the now surprised and trapped Stormy Weather in place right in time for the crane to slam into the umbrella, knocking it out of her hand right before she crashed into the ground.

Seeing that, Chatte Noire jumped up and grabbed it before tossing it to Beetle who landed safely nearby.

Stormy Weather pushed herself up in time to see that. “No!” She cried out as Beetle broke the Umbrella freeing the Akuma for him to purify it.

From there he threw the towel up in the air, activating his Miraculous Ladybug causing the damage to be fixed and the clouds to part, letting in the warm sunlight that Beetle smiled at seeing.

* * *

“And after defeating the three headed dragon with uh-.” Alya stopped talking as she noticed the ice began to melt before rolling with it while the emergency teams cheered at the ice disappearing. “Tawkwondo, the Princess kissed her Prince Charming and-.”

“They lived happily ever after?” Manon asked hopefully as Alya picked her up.

“Yes, until they had a dozen little monkeys like you that drove them crazy.” She gently poked Manon’s nose as she said that, earning a giggle from the young girl.

‘ _ Too bad I wasn’t able to get anything for the Beetleblog. _ ’ Alya silently lamented given how she was trapped, but she smiled while Manon kept asking her questions about certain parts of the story. ‘ _ But it wasn’t so bad. _ ’

She could see what Maron meant about Manon being an angel at times.

* * *

Hawk Moth seethed as he lost his connection with Stormy Weather, nearly breaking his cane in frustration at yet another loss. “Someday I will get your Miraculous, I don’t care how many enemies I have to throw your way.”

To think they defeated this one. One of his strongest Akumas taken down just like that.

But this presented a problem.

Seeing through the eyes of the Akuma he could see that both Beetle and Chatte Noire were getting more in sync with one another. More at ease with their Miraculous just as he was with using his.

If he didn’t take them down soon, this skirmish will turn into a full blown war.

* * *

Aurore blinked as she woke up, rubbing her head. “What happened?” She muttered in a daze. “Where am I?”

The last thing she remembered was being inside of the elevator-.

“Pound it!” Turning towards the voices, Aurore felt her eyes widen at seeing the Heroic Duo of Paris Beetle and Chatte Noire doing a fist bump with a grin and it clicked.

The butterfly, the lack of remembering what happened.

Was she Akumatized?!

“Have to say your plans are getting more complex.” Chatte Noire commented, her ear twitching while Beetle gave a nod of agreement.

“As long as they work.”

Even when they reasonably shouldn’t.

Just what type of material was that towel made out of to allow him to go up like that?

… He should probably just accept it as magic, less of a headache that way.

The beeping reminded them of the time limit and Beetle knew he had to go to make sure that Alya and Manon were safe.

But they should make sure that Aurore gets off the roof safely first.

* * *

Maron sighed as he landed behind a tree, the transformation wearing off while Tikki landed on his shoulder.

He barely made it back to the park, which was almost devoid of people, enough to where he could take the risk of changing back here.

“Aren’t you going to find Annette and the photographer?” Tikki asked, seeing how Maron wasn’t moving.

“I-... No.”

Tikki looked rather surprised by that. “Why not?” She asked, flying off his shoulder. “Don’t you want to spend time with Annette?”

“I do,” Maron shook his head, his shoulders dropping. “But I left Manon alone, she must’ve been scared while trapped.”

As much as he wanted to take this opportunity to be around Annette, to get to know her a bit more, he was trusted to watch over Manon.

That was his responsibility right now.

“Maron, you just saved Paris, I think you’re allowed to have a little fun,” Tikki pointed out to him. “Besides she was with Alya and you know she wouldn’t have let anything happen to Manon.”

“Maron!” Hearing the shout, Tikki quickly hid while the teen turned to see Manon rushing towards him, Alya right behind her.

Quickly, Maron knelt down and picked her up. “Manon are you okay? I am so sorry for leaving you like that.” He said checking her over for injuries.

Manon just laughed. “I know what your secret is.”

Hearing that sentence, Maron froze up, slightly panicking while he tried to salvage this. “W-W-What secret?!”

“Beetle is your best friend!” Manon exclaimed, leaving the teen to nearly collapse in relief. “That’s how he knew my name.”

Alya just chuckled, rolling her eyes at what was said, obviously remembering how Beetle said he knew but not bursting her bubble.

Maron just hugged Manon, not confirming or denying that.

It was better than her finding out he was Beetle.

“Can I get a lollipop?” Manon asked, now back to her usual excitable self with the danger over. “Can I? Can I? Can I?”

“Hm? Did you behave while you were with Alya?” Maron asked, looking from Manon to his friend.

“Don’t worry she was an angel.” Alya said, throwing that word back at Maron with an amused smile. “But don’t you have something important to do?”

She pointed towards the photoshoot where Annette saw them and waved.

It would seem that they were waiting for Maron.

And Manon does seem fine.

Maybe Tikki was right, maybe he could have a little fun?

‘ _ Please don’t let me screw this up. _ ’ Maron took a deep breath and set Manon down. “Do you mind watching her for a little bit more?”

Seeing Alya give a nod, Maron walked towards the photoshoot while Manon tilted her head to the side. “I don’t get it.”

She really didn’t understand what was going on.

“Come on, let's go grant some wishes.” Alya said, striking a pose with a grin as Manon quickly copied her.

“Alright Uni!”

* * *

“There you are, and here I thought Ms. Annette would have to eat the spaghetti alone.” Vincent said, seeing Maron walk up only for the boy to gain a very confused look.

Annette just giggled at what was going on. “It’s best not to ask.” She advised him with Maron giving a nod of acceptance, red in the face after looking at her. “Is your sister alright?”

“Sister?” That broke Maron out of his shyness, the question catching him off guard before there was a flash with Vincent taking a picture.

“Hohoho! Now show me the enjoyment of the spaghetti.” He took another pose as he snapped a picture, Annette taking to it with ease, quickly motioning for Maron to copy her.

Needless to say, Maron had no idea what he was doing, feeling very awkward and self centered through-out the whole ordeal, but Vincent seemed to love that, he said something about it making the picture authentic.

Though he was very nervous when they were sitting back to back for one shot.

“So how does it feel to be a model?” Annette asked in a bit of a joking tone once Vincent began to change the card in his camera, giving the two a bit of a break.

Maron blinked in confusion before realization dawned.

Right it was one of her photoshoots, some of these pictures were most likely to be shown in some fashion magazines.

“Uh weird feel I-urk I mean-,” Maron groaned as he mixed up his words again, trying to ignore how Annette was trying to decipher what he just said. “Feels… Weird.”

It came out so lamely that he half expected for her to laugh, but Annette gave a nod as if he made perfect sense.

“It can in the beginning, I had years to get used to it,” She revealed, smiling at him, the action making his stomach do flips. “Just be yourself.”

That was the last thing he wanted to be.

Maron could just imagine his clumsiness making a mess of this whole thing and ruining it.

Forcing himself to push that down, he gave a shy smile. “R-Right-.”

A flash made him yelp as Vincent finished with changing the cards and was now taking more pictures. “Stupendous! Magnifico!”

While Maron was dazed from being blinded, Annette was back to posing for the camera, her smile a bit more prominent as she was having a lot of fun right now.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh another chapter and while I had some of it the same I hope you enjoyed some of the extra scenes, such as the photos at the end. Honestly it felt like Marinette was robbed of that moment in the show, even if it was a little funny.
> 
> In this one however Vincent was looking for a ‘boy’ to have as an extra rather than a girl, so there was no chance for him to suddenly choose Manon. Plus said photoshoot was the one showing off the hat from the Mr. Pigeon episode, figured that would be a good way to tie it in.
> 
> And before anyone says anything about me having Chatte Noire ‘hiss’ in this chapter I would like to say that the show had him purr in one episode. So if they can do that I can have Chatte in this fanfiction hiss.
> 
> Speaking of which I had to rewatch that scene where they were rolling on the ground five times before I wrote it, you can’t tell me that an accidental kiss didn’t happen from how Chat’s head was angled, especially with how they reacted to it.
> 
> Plus I took out the whole daydreaming thing Marinette had in the show, no offense but imagining marriage, kids and pets with someone you barely know at that time is creepy, Marinette does quite a few things that should’ve been called out or at least addressed, something that will be shown in this fanfic that’s for sure.


	7. Timebreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick word before this chapter begins, some people may have noticed how I changed Chat Noir to Chatte Noire, it’s because I was recently told about how the French Language had feminine versions of nouns, something I didn’t know so I figured what the heck. Also I plan on updating Land of Termina next, just need time to get the damn chapter done.
> 
> One more thing, I want to do a small Character Analysis for both Maron and Annette to show how different they are from Marinette and Adrien. Had it at the end notes, but ran out of room.
> 
> Maron Dupain Cheng
> 
> Maron is rather reserved, even more so than Marinette who is outgoing compared to him. Has a few insecurities about his designs due to being mocked by Chloe over the years. As he always kept to himself he didn’t have any friends until he met Alya who began to teach him to be a bit more confident in himself despite the low self-esteem he has. That low self esteem comes into play with his interactions with Annette given his crush on her, he has no idea how to act with a crush and tries not to do anything that comes off as creepy, not wanting to do anything to make her uncomfortable.
> 
> When he’s Beetle he’s seen as cool and confident, always the one with the plan no matter how complex and bizarre they can be showing a great deal of creativity and thinking outside of the box. He takes being a hero very seriously as while he does banter with his partner, he will always treat the situation with caution.
> 
> However his personality as Beetle is nothing more than an act to hide his fear of being in insane situations and will at more times than not push his problems down to handle them as Maron thinking that Beetle needed to be everything that he isn’t normally coupled with how he thinks people will be disappointed if they ever found out who was really beneath the mask.
> 
> Annette Athanase Agreste
> 
> While not as reserved as Maron, Annette is socially awkward from a lack of interaction with others, her only friend being Chloe for years. But she is very outgoing and friendly to anyone who approaches her, even more so when they want to get to know her rather than her family name. However she can be a bit clueless at certain social cues, such as knowing if someone has a crush on her because of her upbringing, even more so than Adrien considering how Chloe doesn’t flirt with her like she did with him in Canon. This combined with her crush on Beetle made her blind to Maron’s increasingly obvious crush.
> 
> She’s also a bit insecure, trying to appease all sides due to how little in terms of friends she has, not wanting to lose any.
> 
> As Chatte Noire, she’s a bit more wild given how it’s an escape from her life, an escape that allows for her to be whoever she wants which she takes to eagerly, along with the life of being a superhero. Given how serious Beetle is, she takes to telling puns to help alleviate the tension and to help keep herself calm. Despite how much of their plans are improvised on the spot, she can tell what he needs at the right exact time showing a great amount of trust with him.
> 
> Her crush on Beetle stems from quite a few things such as him being the first guy close to her age she befriended and from his selfless actions as a hero making her compare him to those knights from fairy tales she read as a kid. The more they interacted the more those feelings grew.
> 
> She truly values everyone she lets close to her and will put their lives and well being before her own, sometimes in a way that some people would call reckless.

Maron yawned as he was working on a small project in his room, a nearby banner rolled up against the wall.

“You know you should go to bed.” Tikki remarked, having stayed quiet for the last hour. “You’ll be exhausted tomorrow if you don’t.”

“I’m fine, I just want to finish this.” Maron said, giving a tired grin as he held out a Chatte Noire doll. “What do you think?”

It was missing the eyes, ears and tail, but he’d like to think it looked good for the moment.

“That looks adorable,” Tikki flew around it in a curious manner. “But why are you making a doll of Chatte Noire?”

Was he hoping to surprise her?

“It’s not just her, I plan to make a Beetle doll and then some of the villains we’ve faced.” Maron answered, having plans to make a Stoneheart, Bubbler, Control Freak and Stormy Weather doll first. “That way next time I babysit Manon she has something to play with.”

Tikki gave a giggle, now nestling in his hair. “You’re pretty good with kids.” She mused.

“Not according to Alya, I’m working on being firm.” Maron said, without missing a beat.

Reaching into his desk, Maron pulled out the material that would be Chatte’s ears and got back to work.

Tikki watched him from her perch in his hair before speaking up. “So why did you make Chatte? Wouldn’t it make sense to make yourself first?”

Maron went quiet at that for a few seconds, mostly just measuring how much material he needed for this small part before answering. “Simple, Chatte is my partner, so I figured making a doll of her first would be fun.”

Besides it’s not like Chatte would ever know.

* * *

“Here you go Plagg,” Annette smiled as she and her Kwami were currently sitting near the top of the Eiffel Tower. “We’ll be up here awhile, so take your time eating it.”

She got up there as Chatte Noire, so Annette was giving Plagg some Camembert to give him his energy back.

It was nice to use her powers without a situation going on and the view from the top was amazing, especially in the middle of the night where the lights of paris shone out across the city like a sea of lights.

“What did I tell you?” Plagg sounded rather smug as he ate the cheese in his usual fashion despite being told to take his time. “Amazing view isn’t it?”

“I’m just confused on how you knew about it, you’ve never been up here have you?” Annette turned her gaze from the view to her Kwami, not even disgusted by his eating habits anymore.

Instead she pulled out a granola bar and began to eat it.

While she was kept on a strict diet due to her career, Annette knew that being Chatte Noire was having her burn off too many calories, so she had to eat more to compensate for that.

And since she was keeping it a secret from her Dad, that meant she had to sneak more food without him knowing.

It was enough that she had a secret stash hidden in her room.

“I explore when you’re asleep.” Plagg answered immediately, earning a shocked look from his wielder. “I was curious how much the city changed while I’ve been inactive and there’s barely anyone to see me at night.”

He can be sneaky if he wants to be.

“That was still dangerous Plagg.” Annette said in a concerned tone. “What if Hawk Moth found you while you were exploring?”

“He would have to catch me and I can easily get away.” Plagg didn’t sound too worried, pretty confident in his skills.

After all he could only be caught if Hawk Moth managed to get the Miraculous, so as long as he never found it then Plagg was okay.

He then shot her a sly look. “And are you really lecturing me when it barely took me any effort to convince you to sneak out?”

He chuckled as Annette’s face reddened before she looked away and he knew he won that argument.

Plagg won’t admit it but he was proud of Annette for finally using her powers for something like this.

Someone like Tikki would say he was being a bad influence, but in his personal opinion Annette deserved to have fun whenever she could, he was always annoyed by her ‘father’ in how he controlled her.

If there was one thing he hated, it was being controlled.

So if him being a bad influence meant that Annette could have some freedom and actually be herself without that man breathing down her neck, then he’ll be one.

Besides she always did a good job as Chatte Noire when it came down to it, so he was willing to indulge her.

“Hey do you think Beetle would like this view too?” Annette asked curiously, imagining the two of them being there in their hero personas.

It would be a great way to get to know him.

Well that and she was daydreaming about watching the stars and city lights with him up high in the air like this. It just sounded romantic.

Hearing that, Plagg had to repress a sigh. “Annette, trust me when I say this, anyone who wields the Ladybug Miraculous tends to be all work, no fun.” He said, knowing that much was Tikki’s influence. “He’ll probably never be ‘Beetle’ unless an Akuma attacks.”

Annette looked a bit disheartened by that. “O-Oh.” She said, realizing how much that made sense.

Sure Beetle always seemed to quip with her whenever they dealt with villains, but when it came down to it he always kept his focus.

It was one of the things that made him a great hero.

Seeing her look down, Plagg felt a small flash of guilt.

He didn’t mean to bring down the mood.

“Still everyone could use a little fun in their lives, so it wouldn’t hurt to try and convince him, who knows he might be the exception?”

Seeing Annette brighten up made Plagg chuckle mischievously.

He really was a bad influence, enough that he was convincing Annette to do the same to Beetle.

If Tikki ever found out she would be annoyed with him.

… He sees no downsides to this.

* * *

Maron resisted the urge to yawn as he ended up staying awake the whole night, the doll of Chatte Noire finished despite how Tikki was giving him a look that spoke volumes of what she was thinking.

“Tikki relax, I do this all the time.” Maron told the Kwami with a tired smile, placing the doll in his backpack.

It’s not the first all nighter he spent on a project and it won’t be the last.

“You shouldn’t, Maron you need to take better care of yourself.” Tikki responded, shaking her head. “You barely even eat unless someone reminds you.”

It was a good thing his parents do that daily because she was certain he would most likely starve himself because of how into a project he can get.

“Not to mention you’re exhausted now, what if an Akuma attacks today?!”

“Then I’ll still fight like I’ve always done.” Maron pushed down another yawn. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

So what if he was a little tired? He and Chatte Noire had it covered when it came to Hawk Moth.

Huh, he was starting to get a bit more confident in his ability to handle Akumas after all of the wins against Hawk Moth, not that anyone could blame him. They had five consecutive victories against the guy, six if you count the second attempt with Stoneheart.

Tikki looked like she disagreed before Maron stood up, stretching as his joints popped. “But speaking of eating, how about we take care of that?” He asked, smiling at Tikki. “I’ll grab you some chocolate chips.”

That made Tikki hesitate given her sweet tooth. Ever since she became Maron’s Kwami, it became even more prominent due to this place being a bakery.

This was basically Tikki’s version of paradise.

“I’ll even grab a few macarons and an eclair.” Maron continued only for the Kwami to fly ahead, leaving for him to laugh.

So he followed her down the stairs, the Kwami quickly hiding in his jacket as Sabine was placing a flower in her hair. “What do you think?” She asked her son, seeing him in the mirror. “Too much? Should I go with or without it?”

“I say with, but no matter what you choose you look great Mom.”

“Just like your father, I just want this to go perfect,” Sabine smiled at her son, readjusting the flower. “It’s not every day you’re celebrating your twentieth wedding anniversary.”

Tikki let out a light gasp inside of Maron’s jacket upon hearing that, giving a bright smile that no one could see.

She always enjoyed seeing and hearing stuff like this.

“What was that?” Sabine asked, hearing the gasp as Maron froze, but thankfully Tom called up.

“Maron, can you come here please?!”

“Coming Dad!” Maron exclaimed, not even hesitating, leaving for Sabine to be confused but shrugging it off as she readjusted the flower once more.

Making it down the stairs and into the bakery, Maron tilted his head when Tom spun around. “Well?”

Blinking in confusion, Maron wasn’t sure what he was asking. “Well what?”

“My mustache.” Tom pointed at it with Maron now seeing how it was trimmed and groomed. “Is it too short? Should I shave it off? Maybe it’s a bit crooked on one side?”

Tikki pushed down a giggle, seeing the resemblance Maron had with both of his parents being plain as day here. One worrying about how they looked while the other wanted to make sure things went perfectly.

Maron smiled at Tom. “Dad, it looks great, just one problem.”

Hearing that made Tom’s eyes widen. “What?” He asked thinking it was the mustache before Maron pointed down.

Following that, Tom realized he was still wearing the apron.

“Oh.”

He took it off immediately with Maron giving a thumbs up. “Now it’s perfect.”

“Thanks Maron.” Tom ruffled his hair before running up to change.

“No problem Dad!”

“Twenty years? That’s amazing.” Tikki finally poked her head out with Maron giving a nod of agreement, a smile on his face.

It was great to see that despite the time, his parents still loved each other as clearly as the day they married.

He hoped that one day he would have someone like that.

That was when the image of Annette flashed through his mind and the smile became a bit shy.

He couldn’t help but imagine a wedding before shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts.

He was getting way ahead of himself, he didn’t even know if Annette even liked him like that and Maron really doubted that.

And he didn’t want to think like that if she didn’t because he truly did value the friendship he had with her.

That was when the oven timer went off with Maron panicking as he grabbed the oven mitts and opened it to see the sweets that were pre-made for tomorrow, all done.

Tikki whimpered at seeing them, barely refraining herself from trying to eat one.

They looked so delicious.

“Ah thank you Maron.” Tom returned, the Kwami barely getting back out of view, now wearing a blue shirt and brown slacks, Sabine right behind him, both of them ready to go. “Now remember we’re closed for the day but Mrs. Chamack is coming to pick up the Eiffel Tower cake that she ordered last week, she should be here sometime within the next thirty minutes. I’m depending on you.”

“I have it covered Dad, you and Mom enjoy your anniversary.” Maron promised him, having no plans to leave the bakery whatsoever that day. “You guys enjoy your special day, you’re going to be late if you don’t leave soon.”

Besides he has homework to pass the time.

“Alright, the emergency numbers are on the fridge, don’t talk to strangers, if you do leave be sure to lock the door behind you.” Tom continued, with Maron feeling a bit annoyed given how he always did this before leaving.

“Tom, Maron will be fine, this isn’t the first time we left him in charge of an order.” Sabine reassured him as she began to drag him away.

Otherwise they’ll never leave.

Maron waved good-bye before closing the door.

“The cake looks delicious.” Tikki finally showed herself, now flying around the Eiffel Tower cake, a look of hunger in her eyes as she stared at it.

“And it’s off limits.” Maron said in good humor despite knowing fully well that Tikki had enough control over her sweet tooth to not do anything rash.

Instead he reached behind the counter and pulled out a plate that he put the promised sweets on, not taking too much to hurt the business but enough for Tikki to be happy.

“Here you go Tikki.” He placed it on the table right as Tikki flew right at them with an eager look.

Seeing Tikki savoring the sweets, Maron chuckled and began to do his homework, hiding another yawn.

Perhaps after Mrs. Chamack picks up the cake, he could take a small nap?

A small burp made him look up to see Tikki looking rather mortified, covering her mouth.

That sight alone sent Maron into a fit of laughter.

* * *

Alix sat at the table in the Le Grand Paris with a bored look on her face, idly poking her food while her father, Alim Kubdel, sat across from her with neatly trimmed reddish brown hair, wearing a gray jacket over a purple undershirt and a lavender scarf.

It was quite a contrast to Alix who wore what she usually wore, her eyes looking around before seeing the Dupain-Chengs just sitting down, Tom waving at her with a friendly smile.

So Alix returned the wave, eliciting for Alim to glance their way with a curious expression. “They’re Maron’s parents, that quiet kid in class who usually keeps to himself.” She explained with Alim giving a nod, knowing who his daughter was talking about.

“I remember them, they make the best bread in the city.” Alim did stop by the Bakery every so often.

He then noticed the shoes that Alix was wearing.

“Couldn’t you have made more of an effort to dress up?” He asked, seeing Alix making a face at the idea.

“I took my hat off.” She pointed out as if that mattered.

“And I appreciate that, but today is a special day.”

Alix rolled her eyes and leaned back. “It’s only a birthday.”

So what if she just turned fifteen?

To her a birthday was just another day, nothing special about it.

Alim just smiled at her actions. “No, today is a special birthday,” He said, reaching into his jacket to pull out a pocket watch. “This watch has been made by our ancestors many, many years ago and it’s been passed down from one generation to the next on their fifteenth birthday. And today it’s your turn to inherit it.”

With that he slid it towards Alix who looked surprised because whenever she saw this watch, her father was always protective of it, always polishing it. Never letting it out of his sight for too long.

It made sense now given what he just said, but all she saw was a simple watch.

Sure it was unique looking, but it can’t be that special.

“That’s nice of you, but I already have a watch and it’s linked up to my smartphone.” Alix showed him her watch.

Instead of getting annoyed or angry by her refusing the watch, Alim just snickered. “Ah, but that’s the beauty of it, there’s always more than meets the eye with everything, our ancestor was after all ahead of his time.”

Alix just gave him a look of disbelief before Alim pressed a button on the watch, having it open and project a clear hologram of a woman holding a giant pocket watch.

The absurdity of seeing a fully working hologram from a very old pocket watch made Alix’s jaw drop, not expecting anything like that.

Now she was wondering how old this watch was? How did their ancestor create something like this?!

Her thoughts were interrupted when Alim closed the watch, shutting the hologram down. “But I understand if you rather I buy you a new pair of rollerblades.”

It was so obvious what he was doing that Alix knew she was being baited, but she didn’t care.

That watch was awesome.

“No, no! I’m stoked to have it Dad, it’s awesome thank you!” Alix said quickly while Alim watched on with a smile, having flashbacks to when he accepted it the same way.

Given time he knew that Alix would truly care for the watch much like how he had.

A beeping from her normal watch brought his attention to it and since she said it was synched to her phone he made a guess. “Your friends, I take it?”

“Y-Yeah, but it’s cool.” Alix said a bit awkwardly, just now remembering that she had a race with Kim that day. “I’d rather stay with you.”

They can reschedule it.

But Alim shook his head despite the joy he felt at hearing that she would rather stay with him than be out with her friends. “Go on, you only live once after all Alix, enjoy your time with your friends.” He told her. “I’ll see you at home, if you’re not too busy to watch a movie that is.”

“Of course not, only if I pick the movie.” Alix jokes, giving her father a hug before taking off.

* * *

“Come on Maron, just remember the formula.” Tikki encouraged, now finished with her meal while Maron was trying to focus on the homework. “Think Maron. Think.”

“You know Tikki, sometimes encouraging someone just distracts them,” Maron said, giving her a bemused look, earning a giggle. “I appreciate it, but I need some time to think-.”

Cue his phone ringing.

“So much for thinking.” Maron muttered, answering it, knowing who it was from the ring tone. “Hey Alya, what can I do for you?”

“ _ Where are you? _ ” Alya asked, confusing Maron. “ _ Don’t tell me you forgot about the race. _ ”

“The what?” Maron asked, dread now filling him before he remembered the banner in his room and suddenly the memory rushed back to him. “I mean of course I didn’t forget about the race between Alix and Kim.”

“ _ Uh huh, _ ” Alya sounded like she didn’t believe him while he closed his book. “ _ So you have the banner? _ ”

“Y-Yes, right here, I know that Alix was counting on me to make it.”

“ _ Well hurry up, it’s in five minutes. _ ”

“... I’m already on my way.” Maron hung up before panicking. “Crap! Crap! Crap!”

“But Maron the cake, you promised your parents you would be here for Mrs. Chamack.” Tikki pointed out to him, making him come to a complete stop in fear.

He made two promises.

And he has to choose to break one.

His parents are counting on him, but so was everyone attending the race.

No matter what, the outcome would be him breaking a promise-.

No, no, no he can do this! He can keep both promises.

“It’s only been ten minutes since Mom and Dad left, I have twenty minutes until Mrs. Chamack gets here.” Maron did his math pretty well in his panic here. “I can get there, deliver the banner, watch the race for a short time and be back before anything happens.”

“But you’ll never get to the Trocadero in five minutes, it’s too far.” Tikki tried to talk some sense into him.

He could call Alya back and tell her that he had to take care of something first, she would understand.

“Maybe for plain old Maron, but Beetle can make it there and back easily.” Maron grabbed some cookies and placed them in his bag for when Tikki needed to recharge.

“Maron no, that’s not a good reason to use your powers-.” Tikki tried but Maron was already in motion, running up the stairs.

“Tikki, Spots On!”

Once the transformation was done with, Beetle grabbed the banner and exited through the window to the roof, swinging off.

He’ll apologize to Tikki later, but right now he had some promises to keep!

* * *

It took no time at all for Beetle to reach the Trocadero, landing behind a pillar where no one was watching. “Spots Off!”

The moment Tikki appeared, she was giving him a look that he was beginning to realize was her ‘I’m disappointed in you’ face.

“Look I know it wasn’t a good use, but I don’t want to break any promises.” Maron said, opening his bag to hand her a cookie. “Everyone is counting on me.”

“Paris also counts on Beetle, it takes time to recharge, even if I hurry, if an Akuma attacked right now I wouldn’t be able to transform you for a few minutes.” Tikki admonished him, pausing to eat the cookie in one bite. “Every transformation needs to count.”

And taking the time to recharge would lead to innocent people getting hurt.

Maron winced, looking down at hearing that.

He didn’t think of it like that.

“But what’s done is done,” Tikki looked away to make sure no one was watching. “Might as well deliver the banner.”

“R-Right.”

Taking a moment to smile, Maron ran out as Tikki flew into his bag where another cookie was, coming to a stop in front of his classmates who were taken aback by his sudden appearance.

Similarly Maron was taken aback at seeing Annette who was conversing with Chloe, the blonde model waving at Maron to say hello while he shyly waved back.

He had no idea that Annette was going to be here.

Feeling even more nervous at the sight of his crush, Maron quickly unfolded the banner to show it off.

He guessed it was good given how everyone looked at it with delighted expressions, Alya even took a picture of it.

The only one not impressed was Chloe who scoffed and looked away after giving Maron a small glare.

She was still rather sore about the Derby Hat competition, but that was nothing to compare to how annoyed she was when she found out that Maron got to be an extra for one of Annette’s photo shoots.

“Pretty off the chain, dude.” Nino grinned with a thumbs up.

“Thanks, it was a lot of fun to make.” Maron chuckled, remembering how many designs he went through and tore out of his book before he came up with this one.

Hopefully Alix and Kim liked it.

“It’s pretty impressive Maron.” Annette’s compliment made Maron give a sharp breath of surprise before she winked.

He almost fell over right there, but barely managed to refrain from doing so.

Trying to swallow the lump in his now dry throat, Maron gave a shy smile to show he appreciated the compliment.

A laugh managed to break him out of his shyness as Kim shook his head. “It seemed that all of you chose the wrong side of this race, Alix isn’t even here.” He said, some overconfidence showing in his stance. “Probably chickened out at the thought of facing an athlete like me.”

“Think again.” Alix surprised everyone as she rolled up, giving Kim a look for even insinuating that. “I never turn down a race and your ridiculous dares are going to end once I win.”

Cheers rose up from the others at hearing that.

“Ridiculous dares?” Annette asked, looking at Nino.

“Right you’ve never interacted with Kim, he makes these crazy dares that a lot of people hate.” Nino explained to her. “Last year he dared me to play my DJ music on the intercom without getting caught and then there was the time he dared Rose to be mean to someone before Juleka intervened with that one, dude has a habit of ticking people off with them.”

“Like Ivan when he made fun of him for liking Mylene.” Maron added, forgetting who was a part of this conversation as he remembered that Kim was the catalyst to the first Akuma appearing.

Though to be fair, no one expects the person you’re making fun of to turn into a giant stone behemoth hellbent on squishing you.

Ivan who was nearby glowered at being reminded of that rollercoaster of day while Mylene placed a gentle hand on his arm.

Annette blinked at hearing that. “Did you play the music on the intercom?” She asked curiously.

Nino coughed in embarrassment. “Yes and I got in so much trouble for that one.” He admitted given the amount of detentions he gained for that stunt. “The only ones he hasn’t dared to do anything were Chloe, Max and Maron.”

That made Alya give Maron a curious look. “Why hasn’t he dared you to do anything?” She asked, remembering the dare that Kim gave her on posting an embarrassing video on the Beetleblog after she tried to get him to back off of another dare.

She refused of course, like she would do anything to tarnish her blog.

“I kept to myself until recently.” Maron answered, not saying that he’s been too busy to even speak to Kim lately.

Or at all now that he thought about it.

“Hey Maron thanks for the banner.” Alix rolled up while Kim was stretching. “Sorry for the short notice on it.”

“No problem.” Maron said, happy he made the decision to get out here as he subtly checked his phone.

He still had plenty of time.

“Just be sure to win, the dares are getting a bit old.” Maron said with Alix smirking confidently.

“Like I’ll lose.”

She was so confident that she told Kim that she would give up her skates if she lost. Besides Kim refused to use skates, saying he could outrun them so there wasn’t a chance for her to lose.

Annette watched the interaction curiously, once more seeing Maron speaking normally compared to how he stuttered with her.

She really didn’t understand why that was.

“My dares are getting old huh?” Kim asked, overhearing the conversation from his end. “Alright then, when I win I have a dare for you Maron.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself meathead, I’m the one winning here.” Alix rolled up, earning a laugh.

“Oh really, you’re no match for me, my neck is bigger than your thigh!”

It got quiet as Kim made that proclamation.

“Uh, is that supposed to be a good thing?” Alya asked with Maron giving a shrug, trying not to laugh.

Max got between the two, being a dark skin teenager with curly brown hair wearing a green polo shirt and tan checkered jeans, a pair of suspenders keeping them up while he idly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Alright, let’s go over the rules.”

“So Maron, what do you think he’ll dare you to do?” Nino glanced at the teen fashion designer who tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“I have no clue.”

He didn’t really do anything to stand out all that much, would he dare him to make a horrible design?

“We’re through with your dares!” Juleka exclaimed, with a smirk once Max finished explaining what the rules were.

Ivan gave a nod of agreement. “Uh-huh, that’s right!”

“No more dares!” Nathaniel cheered.

“Okay on your mark, get set-.” Max began only for Alix to remember something.

“Wait!” She called out right when Kim was about to start running, making him trip and fall, hearing laughter much to his embarrassment.

So he tried to cover that up by quickly getting to his feet. “Forfeiting already?” He mocked while Alix skated over to Alya, pulling out her new pocket watch.

“What’s this?” Alya was confused when Alix placed it in her hand.

“That’s a family heirloom, I need you to watch over it while I race.” Alix said, Alya’s eyes widening when she heard that.

“W-Wait,” Alya tried to get her to stop. “But I’m doing the recording-.”

“Guard it with your life.”

Alya grimaced before making a split second decision and handed it to Maron who was now holding the banner with one hand while Nino held the other end. “Hold on to this, I need to record this for my new blog.”

“But I-wait new blog? How many blogs do you have?!” Maron asked in disbelief as she took off.

Oh great, leave the clumsy boy with the priceless heirloom, there’s no way that won’t go wrong.

Taking a breath, Maron just placed it in his bag to avoid dropping it, unaware of how Chloe was eyeing it with a smirk.

The moment he dropped the watch in his bag however, Tikki gasped at seeing it. “Is this what I think it is?” She whispered, not sure if she was imagining that or not.

She was about to float closer only to give another gasp when another hand reached in and grabbed it.

“Oh no.” Tikki muttered, knowing whose hand that was.

“Huh, this doesn’t look like anything special.” Chloe mused, looking the watch over, Annette giving her a stern look.

“Chloe put it back, it’s not yours.” Annette tried to reason with her childhood friend.

She was rather appalled by the fact that she just saw Chloe take that out of Maron’s bag.

The reason she didn’t call her out on it was because she wanted to try and convince Chloe to put it back.

“Relax Annette, I’m just looking,” Chloe rolled her eyes at how Annette was giving her a look. “It’s just a useless watch anyways.”

That made Annette frown. “Chloe what happened to you?” She asked, trying to compare the way she acts to the Chloe he’s known growing up.

“Last lap!” Max called out as Kim and Alix raced past them.

That was when Maron saw the watch in Chloe’s hands as he idly turned to glance at Annette and he gave a start. “What the-?! Did you just take that out of my bag?!”

Annette winced, trying to find a way to defuse this situation from escalating even further before Chloe pressed a button on the watch as it lit up, surprising the three, Chloe actually throwing it with Maron trying to grab it out of the air, but he made it worse because he accidentally smacked the watch to where it bounced right into the race path in time for Alix to skate over it, cheering as she won the race, unaware that she just destroyed her new watch.

“Oh no.” Annette whispered, seeing the joy on Alix’s face change to shock the moment her eyes landed on the watch.

Kim finally caught up, panting in exhaustion. “I-I demand a rematch, that false start back there threw me off-.” He began only to stop when he saw Alix slowly skate to her broken watch and some slight guilt appeared on his face.

Complaining about losing the race seemed small compared to that being broken after hearing how it was a family heirloom.

“What happened?!” Alix demanded, glaring at Alya considering she gave her the watch.

“I had to videotape the race so I gave it to Maron.” Alya explained, making the roller skater turn her gaze to the fashion designer who was glaring at Chloe.

“And I put it in my bag so I wouldn’t drop it, next thing I know Chloe had it.” Maron gave his side of the story and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.

Chloe scoffed at the looks she was getting, more interested in looking at her nails. “I had nothing to do with this.”

“You took it from my bag.” Maron stressed that out. “I put it there so I wouldn’t drop it to avoid this happening.”

“Okay let’s all calm down.” Annette was trying to be the peacekeeper here. “Look we can get it fixed right?”

“How? By going back in time?!” Alix shouted, some tears showing. “My old man gave me this for my birthday!”

“Then maybe you should’ve taken better care of it.”

No one said anything as Chloe said that, earning angered looks before Alix snapped.

“Every one of you is to blame.” She began to skate off.

“Alix, wait!” Maron dropped his end of the banner and took off after her.

“Maron, what about Mrs. Chamack’s cake?” Tikki reminded him, but Maron shook his head.

He still had time and he wanted to do something to help Alix.

* * *

“Such disappointment.” Hawk Moth mused, the butterflies flying all around him as he could feel a multitude of negative emotions coming from his soon to be latest victim. “Frustration and negativity. Oh how it fills my heart with exhilaration.”

With how much negativity this victim was feeling, it would no doubt make this his strongest Akuma yet.

Focusing on the nearest butterfly, Hawk Moth filled it with his powers, eager to make another attempt to get the Miraculous.

* * *

Thankfully Alix seemed to have slowed down as Maron caught up. “Look there has to be some way to fix it, we can take it to a watchmaker to repair it?” He suggested, not seeing how Alix was clenching a fist, looking like she was trying to restrain herself.

“This watch was one of a kind, I doubt there was anyone around who could fix it.” She snapped at him. “Now go away.”

But Maron persisted despite her warning.

“What kind of friend would I be if I left now-?” Maron tried only for Alix to spin around in disbelief.

“Friend? Since when were we friends?!” Alix jabbed a finger at him, too angry to even think about what she was saying. “The only time we’ve spoken to each other was me requesting the banner, that doesn’t make us friends! So leave me alone.”

With that said, she skated off while Maron looked a bit hurt by that. “Maron, she’s just angry she doesn’t mean that.” Tikki reassured him.

“I-I know, that’s why I can’t give up-.” Maron was cut off when he heard his phone ring and pulled it out in time to miss the Akuma flying by him. “Oh crap this can’t be good.”

It was his Dad.

So he quickly answered. “H-Hello?”

While that was going on, the Akuma caught up with Alix and merged with her roller skates, making the dark look on her face turn murderous.

“ **_Timebreaker, I am Hawk Moth,_ ** ” Hawk Moth whispered in her head with a soothing tone. “ **_I’m granting you the power to retaliate against the people who’ve wronged you and to go back in time to restore the future. However you must do something for me in return when the time is right._ ** ”

Despite a small part of her mind screaming at her to not listen, Alix grinned darkly. “You got it Hawk Moth.”

“ _ Mrs. Chamack is outside waiting for her cake. _ ” Tom began, Maron’s pupils dilating at hearing that. “ _ You are there right? _ ”

“O-Of course I am, I’m just upstairs.” Maron lied straight through his teeth, panicking at the thought of Mrs. Chamack coming early.

Oh crap, there’s no way he’ll make it in time.

Hanging up about ready to run, Maron paled when he heard screams behind him and turned to see what had to be an Akuma wearing a black suit with green patches around the waist and legs and a red hourglass symbol on her chest, a black helmet with two green visors covering her eyes, the only part of her face that could be seen was the lower part.

“Alix?” Maron hesitantly asked, seeing the roller skates.

“It’s Timebreaker now.” The Akuma stated, clenching a fist as she gave a rather dark grin. “And I’m going to go back in time to save my watch, but first I need some energy.”

With that said she skated right at Maron who quickly ducked out of the way, barely being missed as Timebreaker quickly braked and turned to glare at Maron who found himself in a bad situation while the other civilians managed to escape.

Feeling his mouth go dry, Maron idly took a step back, trying to think of a way out of this.

He can’t transform in front of Timebreaker obviously, he didn’t know if that would reveal it to Hawk Moth or not.

But he needs to be Beetle.

Timebreaker shot off after him as Maron began to run, hearing her skate even closer.

* * *

“You really are a piece of work.” Alya looked like she was one second away from smacking Chloe who gave her an unimpressed look.

“Please, she is overreacting over a stupid watch,” Chloe waved that off, not bothered at all by how Alya was shaking. “Besides I only told the truth, if she kept it on her instead of trusting you with it, it wouldn’t be broken.”

After all that was what led to it.

Alya raised a hand only for Nino to quickly intervene, shaking his head.

The last thing they need is for Alya to get an assault charge for smacking her.

“Statistically speaking, it wouldn’t have been broken if you didn’t take it out of Maron’s bag.” Max pointed out, earning a scoff.

That was when they heard the nearby screams making them tense up, especially when someone shouted Akuma.

“Wait, isn’t that the direction Alix and Maron went?” Nino asked, the question making Annette’s eyes widen before she quickly took off to transform, taking advantage of everyone being distracted.

“Well that race got a bit dramatic.” Plagg commented, slipping out of her bag the moment she got behind a pillar.

“A bit too dramatic for my tastes,” Annette shook her head, making sure no one could see her. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

The moment she transformed she began to move towards the shouts, just in time to see Timebreaker chasing Maron down.

So she quickly threw her staff past Maron, where it embedded itself into the nearby wall before extending it right into Timebreaker’s path.

It was so sudden that Timebreaker had no time to stop or jump over it, falling face first, skidding across the floor.

“See you next fall.” Chatte Noire taunted before landing in front of the surprised Maron.

She then scooped him up bridal style and took off running.

“Got you Mar-,” Chatte Noire stopped the moment she almost said his name and tried to salvage it. “M-Macaron.”

“Excuse me?” Maron was flabbergasted by what was going on.

He was also trying to keep calm and hoped that Chatte Noire didn’t recognize him as Beetle.

“Well I obviously don’t know your name and you smell like Macarons, you go to a bakery or something?” Chatte Noire quickly put the lie together before putting him down behind a tree.

Luckily his name was close enough that Maron shouldn’t get suspicious on how one of the Heroes of Paris knew his name.

“Uh I-my family owns one.” Maron wasn’t sure what to say here, something that Chatte seemed to notice before she gained a playful idea, something to laugh about later.

Chatte tilted her head. “You seem familiar.” She said poking some fun on what she perceived to be an inside joke considering how she knew him as Annette.

Maron froze, thinking of all the times he fought alongside her as Beetle and panicked.

“D-Don’t you have an Akuma to deal with?” Maron said, hoping to distract her from finding out the truth.

Hearing that, Chatte Noire grinned. “Yea, Beetle and I have it covered, so you stay safe Macaron.”

She was starting to like that nickname.

The moment she left, Maron breathed a sigh of relief. “I swear that cat is going to give me a heart attack.” He muttered, hearing his phone ringing one more time.

It was most likely his Dad, who no doubt just figured out that he lied about the cake if Mrs. Chamack called him back.

Today was going wrong in every way possible.

‘ _ If I survive this I am so grounded. _ ’ Maron thought in resignation, knowing he was about to disappoint his parents along with their anniversary dinner being ruined.

But Paris needed Beetle.

“Tikki, Spots On!”

* * *

Chatte Noir made it back in time to see Kim fading away the moment Timebreaker touched him. “What did you do?!” She asked in shock, having to stop to get her staff.

This was the first time any of them failed to save someone.

“I needed his energy, besides he was annoying with his bets, the dude deserves to disappear forever.” Timebreaker showed little to no remorse for what she was doing. “Now give me your energy.”

Chatte Noire quickly vaulted over her. “Sorry but I’m using mine.” She said landing before extending the staff to trip her again, but Timebreaker saw this coming and jumped on the staff, grinding towards her, hand stretched out.

Reacting quickly, Chatte Noire leaned back, the hand barely missing her face right as Timebreaker jumped off the staff and skated towards the other kids who were trying to run away.

“No!” Chatte Noire shouted as Nino was grabbed, seeing him fade away before she did the same to Chloe and Sabrina.

That was when a familiar yo-yo slammed into her, sending her flying down some stairs while Beetle landed next to Chatte Noir. “Time Out, Timebreaker.”

Normally Chatte would’ve been proud of her partner coming in with that pun, but seeing two of her best friends fade away made her antsy. “Don’t let her touch you.” Chatte Noire warned Beetle who gave a nod, surprised by how serious Chatte was being.

“P-Please help me up.” The pleading tone caught their attention before they saw Rose slowly approaching Timebreaker, no doubt seeing Alix rather than the Akuma.

“Rose, don’t!” Beetle tried to warn, running towards them, but it was too late with Timebreaker grabbing the naive girl.

“Aw, poor Rose, always thinking of others before herself.” Timebreaker mocked pushing herself up. “All those punks gave me two minutes, not enough.”

That was when she saw Mylene running away and Alya nearby, recording the action for the Beetleblog.

“Perfect.” Timebreaker skated off after them.

“This is getting out of hand.” Beetle said, running after her, using his yo-yo to keep up, getting more frantic with each person they failed to save, seeing Nathaniel, Max and Juleka getting grabbed. “We need to stop her.”

“No kidding, I like tag as much as the next person but not this type.” Chatte Noire joked in a way to calm herself down. “But they’re not gone forever, we need to get that Akuma.”

Ivan tried to hide behind a tree, but Timebreaker easily saw him and rushed towards him earning a scream.

“That’s enough!” Beetle cried out, managing to get close enough to launch his yo-yo to wrap around Timebreaker’s wrist, tugging to make her fall to the ground and give Ivan enough time to run. “It’s over Timebreaker.”

But Timebreaker surprised them all by tugging on the wire, the sudden strength pulling Beetle forward until he came to a stop right in front of Timebreaker who reached out to grab him.

“ _ BEETLE! _ ” Chatte Noire vaulted herself towards them, barely managing to get between the two to where she got grabbed instead, freezing in place as she began to fade.

Beetle stared in disbelief.

No. No. No.

This can’t happen.

“Chatte?” Beetle whispered, hoping that this was just a bad dream, quickly placing a hand on her face. “Chatte!”

How can he win without his partner?!

“Wow, six minutes in one go?! Must’ve been those nine lives.” Timebreaker gave a mocking laugh, watching as Beetle was close to a breakdown. “But before I go back, time to honor my end of the deal.”

Especially if she can get double the time from Beetle.

Timebreaker reached out to grab the ring off of Chatte and Beetle was reacting before he could think.

He grabbed Timebreaker by the wrist and threw a punch right in the stomach, making her cough in surprise before spinning around to toss her away.

“Don’t you dare.” Beetle said in a low tone.

“Tch, alright bug, let’s go.” Timebreaker knew she had plenty of time now to take this bug out.

* * *

Unknown to both of them, their fight had a spectator, one who was watching from a pocket dimension filled with windows between the past, present and the future.

This spectator was a young woman with reddish pixie styled hair, wearing a blue and white bodysuit with a black turtleneck, a white cotton ball on the front of the neck part, a blue and white mask covering her eyes while a pair of bunny ears stood up from her hair while an umbrella was on her back.

This was Bunnyx, the time traveling hero and the wielder of the Rabbit Miraculous who was also known as the hero of last chance to her friends.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Bunnyx muttered to herself, looking through the recent past events.

She detected a change in the timeline in the last two months, but no matter how much she looked nothing seemed wrong, it was enough that she thought she imagined it.

Then the Akuma, Control Freak happened.

An Akuma that never existed in the original timeline.

That was enough in itself to tell Bunnyx that someone was messing with time, how they were doing that though she had no idea considering as far as she was aware she was the only one with the ability to time travel.

“ _ You’re persistent, _ ” Bunnyx looked up to see the fight between Timebreaker and Beetle escalating in one of the windows. “ _ Are you mad that your partner is gone? _ ”

“Another difference.” Bunnyx muttered, knowing fully well that this fight never happened, watching as Beetle actually used his yo-yo to fling objects at Timebreaker, looking very angry.

“ _ Don’t you dare talk about her like that Alix! _ ” Beetle exclaimed, landing in front of the Akuma, grabbing her wrists before she could grab him before kicking up, catching her chin.

On reflex, Bunnyx grabbed her chin as if she felt that. “Geez Littlebug, try not to knock any teeth out.” She commented in amusement to try and keep a semblance of calm before seeing something that made her eyes widen.

Rolling with the pain, Timebreaker reached out and finally grabbed him, making him freeze as he began to fade.

No.

D-Did Hawk Moth just win?

As if to answer her question, countless windows began to close due to this abrupt change.

Seeing her friends beginning to disappear and change, Bunnyx knew she couldn’t stay on the sidelines. Everything she knew and loved was on the line.

So she focused, finding a point where she could intervene and made the jump.

* * *

Timebreaker reached out to grab the ring off of Chatte and Beetle was reacting before he could think.

He grabbed Timebreaker by the wrist and threw a punch right in the stomach, making her cough in surprise before spinning around to toss her away.

“Don’t you dare.” Beetle said in a low tone.

“Tch, alright bug, let’s go.” Timebreaker knew she had plenty of time now to take this bug out.

She rushed him only to be surprised when a white portal opened up behind Beetle as Bunnyx jumped out, landing in front of him, shocking the ladybug themed hero before she used the hook on her Umbrella to snag Timebreaker by the wrist, spinning around to toss her away.

“Got your back Littlebug.” Bunnyx said, grinning at his dumbfounded expression.

It was clear he had no idea what was going on right now.

Timebreaker stood still looking between the two before deciding to book it as she took off, energy surrounding her before disappearing into the past.

“We don’t have much time, you-.” Bunnyx turned only to see Beetle back up warily, holding his yo-yo as if waiting to attack.

Not that she could blame him, she was an unknown to him.

“Who are you?” Beetle demanded.

“Long story short, I’m from the future, I’m a part of your team of Miraculous Heroes you lead.” She said, with Beetle looking rather surprised by that explanation.

Him? Leading a team of Miraculous Heroes? You mean there were more than his, Chatte’s and Hawk Moths?!

Okay thinking about it, sure that made sense, but it never came up so that was a surprise.

“Look we need to hurry, you want to save Chatte right?” Bunnyx asked, seeing him hesitate looking towards where he could barely see his partner right now before he gave a nod, slightly relaxing his stance but he was still tense in case this was a trick.

“Right now Timebreaker went to the past, I can send you there to fight her.” Bunnyx began only to feel faint and that was when she noticed her hand was beginning to disappear before reappearing..

Something that Beetle was quick to notice. “You’re fading?”

“It’s because the future is being changed, you need to go now Littlebug.” Bunnyx quickly opened a portal. “Just run, don’t stop for anything.”

Despite the many questions he now had, Beetle knew that now wasn’t the time.

So with a deep breath he jumped in there.

The moment he went in, Bunnyx sighed as she followed, making it back to her pocket dimension to try and salvage what was going on.

That was all she could do for the moment, there’s no telling if her interference any further could make things worse or not.

So it was up to Beetle, but Bunnyx wasn’t too worried.

When things came down to the wire Beetle always had a handle on things.

Though perhaps she could lend a hand in a different way to speed things up.

* * *

“Huh, this doesn’t look like anything special.” Chloe mused, looking the watch over, Annette giving her a stern look.

“Chloe put it back, it’s not yours.” Annette tried to reason with her childhood friend.

She was rather appalled by the fact that she just saw Chloe take that out of Maron’s bag.

The reason she didn’t call her out on it was because she wanted to try and convince Chloe to put it back.

“Relax Annette, I’m just looking,” Chloe rolled her eyes at how Annette was giving her a look. “It’s just a useless watch anyways.”

That made Annette frown. “Chloe what happened to you?” She asked, trying to compare the way she acts to the Chloe he’s known growing up.

“Last lap!” Max called out as Kim and Alix raced past them.

That was when Maron saw the watch in Chloe’s hands as he idly turned to glance at Annette and he gave a start. “What the-?! Did you just take that out of my bag?!”

“ _ MY WATCH! _ ” All of them jumped at hearing that roar and turned to see Timebreaker heading for them, coming out of a time portal, Alya turning from the race to record the Akuma in surprise, the race being interrupted then and there.

‘ _ Akuma?! _ ’ Maron thought in a panic, not knowing where it came from and was unsure of where to run to transform. ‘ _ Now?! I need to take care of the cake. _ ’

Annette swallowed nervously, eyes darting back and forth to try and find a safe place to transform.

‘ _ Okay, maybe can I throw the banner on top of her, that could give me time to run-. _ ’ Maron went to pull it out of Nino’s grip only for another portal to open up and a familiar yo-yo to shoot out, hitting Timebreaker in the leg, making her trip. ‘ _ Wait is that-? _ ’

His jaw dropped as he saw Beetle jump out of the portal, landing between them and the Akuma.

What was-?! But he was-?! Wasn’t he Beetle?!

Maron. EXE has stopped working.

A crash made them glance over to see that Chloe dropped the watch in her surprise breaking it a second time.

“ **_NO!_ ** ” Timebreaker shouted while Alix froze at seeing it. “Again you destroyed my watch Chloe!”

* * *

“Do my eyes deceive me?” Hawk Moth whispered, seeing through the eyes of this Timebreaker that appeared while feeling negativity from Alix.

The same type of negativity he felt from Timebreaker.

Which meant he could have two supervillains at the same time, more than enough to take down Beetle and Chatte Noire.

Giving a laugh, he corrupted another butterfly, not wanting to waste this rare opportunity.

“Fly my Akuma and join this troubled soul.”

“Excuse me?” Chloe asked in disdain, not getting what this Akuma meant.

‘ _ Again? _ ’ Maron thought to himself, trying to make sense of this situation, not seeing the others already running for cover.

Seeing that as an idea came to him, Beetle rushed over and grabbed his shoulder. “Get to safety.” He said out loud before whispering. “Get back home, I’m you a few minutes from the future and Mrs. Chamack drops by early.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Maron whispered back, though he did look a bit panicked at the idea of Mrs. Chamack coming early before Tikki showed herself by poking out of his jacket. “Tikki!”

“It’s okay, I can sense the Miraculous, he really is you.” Tikki reassured, leaving for Maron to groan as the Kwami ducked back down.

“My life is weird-.” Maron stopped at seeing a second Akuma hitting Alix who turned into Timebreaker. “And now it got weirder.”

Beetle turned to see that and paled.

They barely could handle one.

Timebreaker2 rushed at Beetle only for a staff to collide with her helmet, sending her back right. “Am I seeing double all of a sudden?” Chatte Noire asked, landing near them, a bit baffled.

Beetle said nothing at first, looking at Chatte Noire in shock, his mind flashing back to when Chatte jumped in front of him to take the blow, but he quickly pushed it down. “No time for puns Chatte, your life depends on it.”

Hearing that, Chatte Noire gave a cheeky grin. “Which one, I have nine-.”

“This is no joking matter.” Beetle snapped surprising her before sighing. “Get this kid out of here, we can’t let either Timebreaker touch anyone.”

Despite feeling concerned for what was up with Beetle, Chatte Noire gave a nod knowing she had to get her friend out of there and scooped Maron up much to his embarrassment. “Don’t worry I have you Mar-,” Chatte Noire stopped the moment she almost said his name and tried to salvage it. “M-Macaron.”

“Excuse me?” Maron asked as she ran.

“Huh, deja-vu.” Beetle muttered as his civilian self was escorted away.

But he tensed as both Timebreakers gave him a dark look. “We take him down and we’ll have enough energy to send us both back.” Timebreaker1 said, making her evil twin grin.

“Time travel huh? That sounds sick.”

With that they both took off towards Beetle who used his yo-yo to launch himself above them before spinning around, making it slam into Timebreaker1’s helmet as he landed, crouching to duck Timebreaker2’s outstretched hand, kicking her back.

‘ _ How do I get myself into these weird situations. _ ’ Beetle thought, jumping back to dodge Timebreaker1.

“Sorry for the wait my prince,” Chatte Noire made it back down after dropping Maron off out of sight, using her staff to block a swipe from Timebreaker2. “So what did I miss?”

Beetle said nothing, doing his best to keep his focus, earning a concerned look from Chatte Noire before Timebreaker1 shouted. “Beetle will be unbalanced if we take Chatte Noire down, I nearly got him before when I took care of her in my time.”

“What?” Chatte Noire asked, not getting what she was talking about, but Beetle gritted his teeth at the reminder and launched his yo-yo to wrap around Timebreaker1’s wrist, reeling her in to punch her jaw before spinning around, eliciting for Chatte Noire to duck, extending her staff to hit Timebreaker2 in the gut, making her fly back before Beetle let go of his Timebreaker causing her to collide with the second one.

“Explanations later.” Beetle told her despite how she was even more concerned after seeing him punch Timebreaker1, something he’s never done with any of the past Akuma’s.

He was acting rather aggressive today.

Timebreaker1 got back up with a snarl. “If we were faster then we could easily take out these bozo’s.”

Hearing that, Timebreaker2 smirked. “Then let’s get some energy.”

They immediately bolted from the fight, confusing Chatte Noire but Beetle gasped. “They’re heading towards civilians.”

* * *

Maron was panting as he ran as fast as he could, the Bakery in sight right when he saw Mrs. Chamack on the phone, the woman smiling at seeing him. “Never mind, here he is.” She said, hanging up. “It’s fine now, thanks.”

“I am so sorry for the wait.” Maron panted out, taking his key out to unlock the door. “It’s… Been crazy.”

How else could he describe this rollercoaster of a day?

The craziness went up as he entered only to see the cake already wrapped up.

Okay he knows for a fact that it wasn’t wrapped up before he left.

Looking to the side, he saw a note and read it. ‘ _ Figured I could save you some time Littlebug. -Bunnyx _ ’

Despite wondering who this Bunnyx was, along with the fact that this ‘Littlebug’ comment hinted at Bunnyx knowing his identity, Maron shook his head and crumpled the note to put in his pocket to look over later, handing the wrapped up cake to Mrs. Chamack who thanked him, leaving for him to quickly close the door in relief.

“Mission accomplished.” Tikki said with a smile, leading for Maron to shake his head.

“Not quite, we have an Akuma to deal with,” Maron reminded her, running up to his room. “Tikki, Spots On!”

* * *

“That should be enough.” Timebreaker1 said after they absorbed energy from at least twenty people. “Let’s go hardcore on both Beetle and Chatte Noire.”

“And once we absorb their energy we can get our watch back.” Timebreaker2 agreed, watching as the heroes came to a stop, eyeing them warily.

“Great they’re faster, we need to keep on our toes.” Beetle muttered, looking between the two. “I think the Akuma’s are in their roller skates.”

“Sounds like quite the cheapskate.” Chatte punned with a grin that fell when Beetle didn’t even react to it. “Beetle are you okay?”

“Incoming.” Beetle didn’t answer as both Timebreakers were rushing towards them only for a yo-yo to come out of nowhere to trip them up.

Chatte Noire blinked in complete confusion before following it to see another Beetle who grinned. “Hey, you two need a hand.”

Seeing two of him made Chatte Noire’s jaw drop as she looked between him and the one she was standing next to who grinned. “You know it.” He said, not even sounding surprised.

Beetle2 jumped down to land on her other side. “So what did I miss?”

“Akuma is in their roller skates, we need to get them but they’re hard to get on the ground.” Beetle1 answered easily with Chatte looking back and forth, trying to comprehend this.

“So what if they’re not on the ground?” Beetle2 suggested with Beetle1 grinning in response.

“Two Beetles?” Chatte Noire asked, clasping her hands together. “Am I dreaming?”

Both Beetle’s just gave her a deadpanned look. Though the one from the future was trying not to chuckle, just happy that things seemed to be better than the last fight so far.

Timebreaker1 gritted her teeth at being outnumbered again. “Change of plans, we go back in time now, there’ll be less of them.”

“I’m down for that.” Timebreaker2 agreed as they skated off.

“No you don’t,” Both Beetles threw their yo-yo’s up. “Lucky Charm.”

Beetle1 ended up making a bicycle lock while his younger self had a traffic cone.

“Well I’m lost.” They both said, leaving for Chatte to snicker.

“Well while you two figure that out, I’ll buy us some time.” She said rushing forward with a grin.

Looking around, Beetle1 saw the nearby ice cream cart, or rather the sign and a figurative lightbulb went off in his head. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” He asked, earning a smug smile from Beetle2.

“You know it.”

Using her staff to vault herself past the Timebreakers, Chatte Noire landed behind a wall and grinned. “Cataclysm.”

Once her power was active, she touched the wall, decaying enough to where it would fall in their path, forcing them to slow down and turn away, unable to time travel a second time.

Chatte Noire couldn’t resist giving them a cheeky wave as they passed only to freeze when she saw Beetle1 standing right out in the open, but he was smirking so she kept calm, knowing he had it.

She was beginning to understand what was going on, with the villain being named Timebreaker there had to be some time travel shenanigans going on.

“Let’s freeze him on our way past.” Timebreaker1 suggested, earning a nod from her younger self as they both rushed at Beetle who waited until the last second before doing a backflip to dodge their reach, quickly using the bicycle lock to tie their legs together as they passed.

“Whoa!” Timebreaker2 shouted in shock right before Beetle1 then threw his yo-yo back to wrap around her wrist that was still charged with energy.

He did this for two reasons.

One to direct them towards Beetle2 who was using the cone and the ice cream sign to make a small ramp. The other however was something that no one would expect from him.

He made the hand touch Timebreaker1, making her freeze as she began to fade.

‘ _ That was for Chatte. _ ’ Beetle1 thought knowing that they just needed to deal with the last Timebreaker now who was going too fast to stop due to the extra energy provided by her future self and ended up flying off the ramp, giving Beetle2 time to destroy the roller skates, freeing the Akuma to purify it.

Once that was done, Beetle2 quickly activated the Miraculous Ladybug to fix things, watching as Beetle1 and the fading Timebreaker1 disappeared but that was when something went wrong.

The Miraculous Cure merged the timelines to where everyone remembered both of them.

For Beetle however, he went still as three different timelines worth of memories surged through him.

One where Bunnyx sent him to the past. The one he was in right now. And the one where Timebreaker won.

A multitude of different emotions began to bubble up inside of him.

Emotions he forced down as Timebreaker2 turned back into Alix who groaned, having a hand on her head, obviously unsure of what was going on while her pocket watch that was now fixed was on the ground near her.

Taking a deep breath, Beetle walked towards her and picked the watch up before handing it towards her with a smile, trying to keep himself from having a mental breakdown from having three sets of memories to sort through.

He’ll deal with it when he’s Maron, not when he’s Beetle.

“Here,” He said, almost sounding like he was choking before catching himself. “I think this belongs to you.”

“No way, how did you fix it?!” Alix accepted it back with a relieved look.

That relieved look however turned sour as she gazed at it.

“It’s my fault.” She whispered in a low tone. “I should’ve taken better care of it.”

Hearing a beep, she glanced up at Beetle who tensed up, seeing one of the spots disappear from his earring, surprising the roller skater.

He had three minutes at most.

Instead of leaving however, Beetle placed a hand on her shoulder. “Responsibility isn’t something to be taken lightly,” He told her. “It doesn’t matter if that responsibility stems from an object or the people in your life.”

“I-... I understand.” Alix thought back to how she blamed everyone for what happened to her watch.

It wasn’t their fault.

… Well it wasn’t most of their fault, she still thought Chloe was to blame for taking it. But if she kept it on her then Chloe wouldn’t have had the chance to do that.

Instead she didn’t listen to Alya, wanting to start the race forcing her to give it to Maro-.

Just like that, Alix remembered what she said to Maron in her anger and guilt flowed through her.

“Thank you, Beetle.” Alix turned to skate away, needing some time to think. “I’ll be more careful.”

While that was going on, Chatte Noire watched the conversation curiously, having the two sets of memories going through her, now knowing why Beetle was acting odd.

The last thing she remembered from the other timeline was seeing his shocked and fearful face when she jumped in the way of the attack meant for him before fading into nothingness.

It was the equivalent of him seeing her die, even if it was undone.

In her mind she knew she made the right decision, not because she doesn’t think her life meant nothing, but because Beetle was the one who could cure everything.

Without him they couldn’t fix the damages after the Akuma attacks.

“Beetle?” Chatte Noire called out, wanting to talk to him.

He glanced towards her and for a second, Chatte saw something on his face that surprised her.

Shame.

But it was gone in a split second as she tried to think about what to say.

What could she say? She was still trying to sort through the two different memories and the shock of actually fading away to even think clearly.

Another beep however reminded them of their time limit as Beetle turned and zipped away without a word.

* * *

Shouts of frustration came from Hawk Moth as once more the Akuma was taken care of, pure fury on his face showing.

Because he remembered.

Hawk Moth remembered the first timeline where Timebreaker won.

He won.

He practically had the Miraculous in the palms of his hands.

Then that new hero came into play.

And suddenly there are two timelines where he didn’t win?!

The image of Bunnyx was burned in Hawk Moth’s memory from seeing her through Timebreaker’s eyes and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

It wasn’t a complete loss.

Now he knew about this Bunnyx. Obviously there was another Miraculous at work here.

One that centered around Time Travel.

A power that could serve him well should he possess it.

There’s only one question on his mind now.

Was this Bunnyx from the Past, Present or the Future? And that would determine if he could find this particular Miraculous in the Present.

* * *

Beetle barely made it to the roof of his home and into his room when the transformation wore off, leaving Maron who practically collapsed in his bed while Tikki gave him a worried look.

“Maron?” Tikki flew towards him as he just laid there, not even reacting to her.

He remained like that for a few minutes, enough time for Tikki to land on his stomach, trying to comfort him, seeing that he was in shock as everything was finally settling in.

Finally after what seemed like hours, he spoke.

“I failed.”

“What?!” Tikki looked surprised by what he said. “No, you didn’t! You stopped Timebreaker and saved everyone.”

“No I didn’t, not originally.” Maron got out, sitting up, forcing Tikki to get off of him. “If Bunnyx didn’t show up, Hawk Moth would’ve won. He did win.”

He was Beetle, he was supposed to protect Paris. But he failed. He couldn’t purify Timebreaker because he never defeated her. He couldn’t even save Chatte when she took the hit meant for him.

How can he be a hero if he couldn’t even protect his own partner?

And not just her

Everyone from their class.

He failed them.

Some hero he was.

“Maron, you didn’t fail.” Tikki repeated in a calm tone, now being eye level with him. “Hawk Moth never got your Miraculous and everyone who was fading is back, you and Chatte Noire saved them.”

Maron said nothing to that, not believing it.

Tikki wanted to say more when there was a knock on his door, leaving for her to quickly hide as Maron took a deep breath to keep himself calm. “It’s open.”

Tom opened up, giving a kind smile to Maron before walking in. “Maron can we talk?” He asked, with the boy a bit surprised by the question.

“Oh uh sure?” Maron forced a smile on his face. “Did you and Mom enjoy your anniversary dinner?”

“We sure did, although it was a close call.” Tom walked over and sat next to Maron. “But there’s something odd about it.”

Maron went quiet, unsure of what he was getting at.

“Your mother and I have two different memories of what happened, we learned on the News about the Akuma attack.” Tom said, seeing Maron squirming. “There was footage provided by your friend that showed you there instead of here waiting for Mrs. Chamack.”

Hearing that, Maron looked down in shame.

He knew exactly where this was going and for once wished that Alya didn’t get the footage for her blog.

But it wasn’t like she knew that he wasn’t supposed to be there at the time.

Seeing that he wasn’t saying anything, Tom sighed. “Maron, why did you lie on the phone when you weren’t anywhere near the bakery?”

Closing his eyes, Maron took a moment to collect himself before answering. “I promised Alix that I would get the banner to her race,” He began, his Dad paying close attention to his explanation. “I forgot it was today and I promised about the cake-... I didn’t want to break any of my promises.”

And then he panicked when his Dad called before everything just went to hell.

Maron trailed off on that before Tom pulled him into a small hug. “I’m not mad at you, I’m just disappointed that you felt the need to lie,” He said, making Maron tense up. “Things might’ve turned out okay this time, but you can’t know if they will again. You’re only one person, you can’t just take everything on your shoulders like that.”

Maron gave a nod to show that he understood.

Everything that happened, he knew that he was lucky that things turned out okay.

But he can’t risk it again. He needs to do better.

“Is there anything else?” Tom asked, a concerned look on his face.

He knew that something has been off with Maron the last two months, ever since school started back up he’s been all over the place, exhausted, showing signs of stress.

It got to the point where Tom knew that Maron was hiding something, but what it was he had no idea.

Maron hesitated, his big secret coming to mind.

He wanted nothing more than to tell his parents the truth. That he was Beetle.

That he has been helping to save the day ever since the Akuma’s started to attack.

He hated lying to them about it but he knew that this lie was necessary.

Especially if they were ever Akumatized, if they knew he was Beetle there was no doubt that Hawk Moth would discover it through them.

No one can know. It was the reason why he and Chatte could never know who each other were.

“No.” Maron whispered, missing how Tom looked sad, thinking that Maron was beginning to drift apart from him and Sabine.

But he didn’t want to push him.

“I-... I see, if you ever do need to talk you do know that you could tell us anything right?”

Maron could hear the hopeful tone in his voice and he smiled. “I know, thank you Dad.” He said with the man nodding, giving him a gentle squeeze before finally letting go.

He had to get the rest of the bakery ready for tomorrow.

Maron watched the man leave before his smile fell and he fell back on his bed, just wanting to sleep right now.

* * *

Bunnyx sighed in relief as she was back in her pocket dimension, making sure that the timeline was stable once again.

But it wasn’t over with.

That’s why she needed to discover how it happened and take care of it.

Turning away from her timeline, Bunnyx checked up on Maron to see the talk with his Dad and how he was after the man left and had to force the concern she felt for the past version of her friend down, knowing that she can’t go back to the past unless she absolutely had to.

Otherwise she could damage more than just her present.

Instead she looked at the fight to see what differences there were before she noted a few interesting things.

The Miraculous Cure that always repaired the damages, something was off about it.

Before it cured everything that involved Akumas. The injuries, the property damage, even the mental trauma that would occur.

But here it seemed to have skipped the mental trauma. It even went as far as to combine the different memories of the timelines due to Timebreaker. Whatever messed with time was starting to mess with the Miraculous.

Then she tensed as she saw what Beetle did to Timebreaker1 before the Akuma was purified and stared in disbelief.

Did he-? Beetle never did that before, she knew because she would always look back over past events to remind herself about certain things.

So why did he suddenly do something like that?

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man what a roller coaster this chapter was right… My head freaking hurts trying to type this with all of the time travel shenanigans going on along with trying to make it as different as I can. Still holy crap the amount of words in this chapter alone.
> 
> Now who expected for Bunnyx to make an appearance so early?
> 
> Then you have Hawk Moth actually winning before Bunnyx showed up, I wonder how many people I caught off guard by that alone. Another change would be him now knowing of the Rabbit Miraculous and its powers, honestly you would think the villain wouldn’t pass up a time travel power like that? Especially if he can try and use it to get the Miraculous.
> 
> Finally you have the mental trauma of everything that’s happened. One thing I didn’t like in the show was how the Miraculous Ladybug fixed everything, even the trauma. I know it’s a cartoon but trauma helps with character development and I wanted to show that here.
> 
> Annette won’t shrug off the fact that she technically died before the cure fixed it, Maron won’t shrug off how Hawk Moth won before the time travel happened.
> 
> But it’s not all bad as we finally had a small interaction between Maron and Chatte Noire which happened earlier than in Canon along with Maron receiving the nickname Macaron because of how Chatte nearly said his name and had to cover it up. Took awhile to think of a nickname that sounded similar to his name before it hit me.
> 
> So yea, this chapter was the biggest risk I’m taking with this story because I don’t know if anyone would like the changes I’m making or not but it’s the biggest divergence I’m having at this point. Not only that but I’m also showing more scenes with the other characters, such as Plagg who needs more screen time and I showed a bit more on Tom with his talk with Maron there at the end.
> 
> And Alix will apologize in a future chapter, it’s just that so much happened that she hasn’t gotten the chance to do so yet.
> 
> While I’m on the subject of Alix can we please figure out the whole age thing in Miraculous Ladybug?! I mean we know Marinette was thirteen in season 1 because it was stated that the episode Belfana in Season 2 was her fourteenth birthday, I’m guessing Adrian’s birthday in Bubbler was him turning fourteen. But Alix was stated to be fifteen as of Timebreaker? I have no clue how they’re in the same class unless the school system is different in France, I’ll do some more research in case I overlooked something though.
> 
> Oh and as for the cake being wrapped up, that crap takes time, there was no way Maron could do that and make it back in time to help, that's why I had Bunnyx take care of that for him while he was on his way back.


	8. Downtime

Annette sighed as she laid in her bed, the last few hours since fighting the Akuma known as Timebreaker has kept her uneasy.

Mostly due to how she kept replaying the moment she-.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of how she faded from existence.

That was something that she didn’t think would happen, even when she first became Chatte Noire.

No matter what, she and Beetle always kept ahead and won against Hawk Moth.

In every fight no one died or got hurt-er Sabrina’s Dad from the first time with Stoneheart was the only exception but the magic cure Beetle had did fix that.

Yes people were scared and yes sometimes they were put in danger and kidnapped, but that was always the worst of it.

Only now, it got worse.

Even if it got undone.

Even if they managed to save everyone, that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.

And there’s no doubt in Annette’s mind that the memories of fading, of the fear of actually dying is probably messing with everyone that Timebreaker touched.

Then there’s the fact that Alix must be feeling terrible about doing it, even if she doesn’t remember everything about Timebreaker.

But there was one more thing bothering her.

Beetle’s face upon them winning.

The shame she saw.

Was it because of what happened to her?

Was it because of what happened to the others?

Perhaps a combination of both? He was very aggressive towards Timebreaker and after their memories merging from those timelines it was easy to see why.

Feeling something land on her knee, Annette didn’t even need to look. “Did I wake you up, Plagg?” She whispered, knowing the Kwami would hear her.

“Never went to sleep.” Plagg answered, flying up to where Annette could see his eyes in the dark.

Something she would find pretty cool, if she wasn’t worried.

Plagg has been quiet ever since she changed back, not even asking for Camembert which was very unlike him.

Instead he just kept to himself.

“How are you feeling?” Plagg asked after a bit.

“I’m feline fine.” Annette lied with a grin, but Plagg actually gave her a narrowed eyed look.

“Kid, you faded from existence, no one would be fine after that.” Plagg told her in a serious undertone with a tinge of annoyance in it. “So don’t try to hide it with one of your puns.”

Annette hesitated, not really used to something like this.

She always said she was fine and everyone believed her.

Her father was too busy to see that she was lying at times, same with Nathalie and while Chloe did care she took Annette at her word at times. She had so much practice acting fine that at times she believed it herself.

So for someone to see through that and call her out for lying was something new.

The hesitation allowed for Plagg to push. “Take it from me, hiding stuff like this will only hurt you in the long run.” He advised, having seen it for himself in the many years he’s been around.

And he actually liked this wielder a bit compared to the other ones he’s had.

Even in the short amount of time he’s known her, she’s been pretty fun.

Annette kept quiet before she sat up and brought her knees to her chest, looking vulnerable as she hugged herself. “I was scared.” She admitted, remembering how she felt when Timebreaker got her.

Of when she got everyone despite what she and Beetle did.

And seeing the shock and fear on Beetle’s face when she began to fade, that scared her as well.

It was stupid, she was a super hero, they shouldn’t get scared.

They were supposed to fight to keep people safe, to ease their worries.

“And I can’t stop thinking about how we could’ve handled it differently. Maybe we could’ve prevented it if I stopped Chloe from grabbing that watch?” Annette continued, images of how it started going through her head. “Or maybe I could’ve finished it if I didn’t pause to make a small joke to Maron as Chatte Noire?”

“Thinking on what-ifs won’t make things better, you’re only torturing yourself with them.” Plagg advised, seeing what was going on easily.

“Then what do I do?” Annette asked, her shoulders dropping a defeated look on her face showing that she didn’t know where to go from here.

“You learn from this, yes things went horrible, but does that make everything you accomplished before invalid? Do you regret being Chatte Noire?” Plagg asked, making Annette think. “Not everything will go as well as it has been, but you can work to ensure that it doesn’t get as bad as it did.”

Does she regret being Chatte Noire?

Annette had to think about that before coming to her conclusion.

No, she doesn’t regret being Chatte Noire.

After everything that part of her life has become a very important piece, something that made her feel alive compared to before.

A part of her life that she controlled.

Where she wasn’t chained down.

And she met Beetle as Chatte, he was someone that she valued greatly despite their limited interactions.

… But was that truly the best reason for her to be Chatte Noire?

Despite how she was seen as a hero alongside Beetle, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed at her motivations for being one.

It was selfish.

Seeing her quiet down, Plagg glanced at the clock to see it was only eleven twenty-two at night and knew that she wasn’t ready to go to sleep.

“You want to sneak out?” Plagg asked, breaking Annette out of her thoughts. “Maybe a bit of time as Chatte Noire will help you out?”

Annette didn’t answer immediately as while she had snuck out as Chatte Noire at night, it was only to go to the Eiffel Tower to see the lights at night, every other time was when an Akuma happened.

But she knew that she couldn’t sleep, so she smiled in appreciation, making a note to ensure that Plagg had a lot of Camembert in the morning.

“Plagg, Claws Out.”

* * *

Beetle sat on a random rooftop in Paris, looking over the streets with a thoughtful look.

He tried to sleep earlier but had a nightmare, it was actually enough for Tikki to suggest he go around Paris to try and get his mind off of what happened.

But given the mandatory curfew for everyone now, with it being doubled after this last Akuma, the only way he could be out and about was as Beetle.

Even when he pointed that out, Tikki kept insisting he go out there, saying that Hawk Moth would be quiet for a bit, so it was fine this time.

That kind of threw him off a bit considering how earlier that day she was reprimanding him for using up his transformation to get to the race so she was contradicting herself there, but maybe it’s because she was worried for him?

But not even swinging through the city on his yo-yo could make him feel better and it was something he enjoyed doing whenever he was after Akuma’s.

No one really saw him given how a lot of the windows were closed, the drapes covering them and the only people out and about were the Police Officers and they didn’t look up.

He didn’t try to get their attention either, not wanting to be in their way.

Beetle glanced up only to blink as he saw a figure vaulting off a roof top on a pole, doing a few twirls before landing on another rooftop.

‘ _ Chatte? _ ’ Beetle thought in surprise, not expecting to see her out.

And he figured the feeling was mutual because when she jumped to another roof, she caught sight of him and nearly lost her balance before changing directions to head towards him.

A part of Beetle wanted to zip away before she reached him because he didn’t know what to say to her.

What can he say?

But he stayed, not standing up as Chatte landed next to him, flashing a grin. “Good evening, my prince.” She said, her staff shortening enough for her to put away. “Out for a midnight stroll?”

“... Something like that.” Beetle forced himself to say.

This was the first time they ever met up without a situation going on.

No Akuma attacks, so this was new territory for both of them.

“What are you doing up so late?” Beetle asked, glancing at Chatte, her cat-like eyes looking at him as if piercing into his soul.

Once more the sight of her fading went through his mind.

“Purrhaps you didn’t know, but cats are nocturnal, that being said, it’s surprising to see you tonight.” Chatte Noire said, not wanting to say anything about not being able to sleep. “How fur-tunate that I spotted you.”

Beetle couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her puns, but there was a small smile forming, something that Chatte noticed.

But then her ears folded back a bit into her hair as a possibility came to mind.

Was what happened earlier bothering him as well-?

What was she thinking, of course it was.

She didn’t even know if his Kwami spoke to him like Plagg did.

Taking a moment to sit next to him, looking over the streets, Chatte spoke up. “Do you want to talk about it?” Chatte asked, seeing Beetle tense up, showing that she was right.

“About what?” Beetle played off like it wasn’t bothering him, but Chatte’s tail poked his side before twitching back with him watching it curiously.

No matter how often he sees it, it was strange to see the tail-like belt act like a real one.

“Don’t, it’s been bothering me too, my Kwami spoke to me about trying to hide it,” Chatte Noire told him, seeing Beetle look away. “We’re a team right?”

“Of course we are.” Beetle glanced at her, surprised she would even ask that.

“Then why don’t you trust me to tell me when something is bothering you?” Chatte Noire glanced at him, seeing uncertainty on his face. “You helped me out back when Control Freak happened, let me help you.”

Beetle bit his tongue to try and point out that the two situations were different but he knew she was right.

Despite everything they were supposed to trust each other.

He trusts Chatte with his life, no ifs ands or buts about it.

Clearly Chatte was the same considering how many times she just went along with his plans when most people would think he’s crazy and just about gave her life for him.

Only for him to let her down in the end.

“... How many timelines do you remember?” Beetle had to be sure about something first.

The question caught Chatte off guard, given how her ears twitched, a brow raised in his direction. “Two, that’s all there was right?”

He thought so.

“There were three.” Beetle admitted, looking away from Chatte. “The original one, I was tagged by Timebreaker too… Hawk Moth won.”

Chatte Noire stared in surprise, not expecting that at all, while Beetle refused to look her way.

“Wait but then how did we win?” She asked not getting that.

Because there were two Beetles when everything was fixed, so how did that happen if Hawk Moth won?

“Apparently in the future we’ll be a part of a team of miraculous wielders,” Beetle began, not saying anything about how Bunnyx said he apparently led that team, still trying to process that part. “One of them can time travel and chose to intervene to prevent that from happening.”

Chatte Noire kept silent, coming to terms with that.

It was a bit hard to believe, but she already knew that Beetle wouldn’t be the type of person to lie about this and he did come out of a portal after Timebreaker was in the past, so she had no reason to doubt him.

A team of miraculous wielders? That actually made her excited.

That meant there would be new heroes eventually, they would be able to get things done better with a team behind them.

“Well that’s a relief, sounds like we will make a great friend in the future.” Chatte Noire grinned, only to realize that Beetle still wasn’t looking at her.

“Chatte I failed, if it wasn’t for Bunnyx, Hawk Moth would have our Miraculous.” Beetle reminded her, taking his yo-yo out.

At first she thought that he was going to swing away, but he began to play with it like it was a normal yo-yo.

Probably as a stress reliever?

It was something she did with twirling her staff when she was by herself, practicing in her room.

Watching the yo-yo go back and forth and putting the name Bunnyx back in her mind, Chatte placed a hand on Beetle’s shoulder with a smile. “Come on.” She said standing up. “I want to show you something.”

That made Beetle give her a weird glance.

* * *

Moments later they were both on the Eiffel Tower, looking over the city lights at night. “Whoa.” Beetle muttered, never seeing Paris like this before.

It was enough for him to want to sketch a design out.

“Amazing right? Plagg, my Kwami, showed it to me the other night.” Chatte Noire revealed to him, holding her staff in her hands after using it to get up there.

‘ _ Her Kwami’s name is Plagg? _ ’ Beetle thought, not sure if he should know that but didn’t say anything about it.

“You were out here the other night?” Beetle asked in surprise, seeing Chatte grinning sheepishly.

“I had a lot on my mind and I needed something to keep me busy, seeing the city like this does make what we do worth it.”

Beetle went quiet, thinking about that as he looked over the city with her.

It was nice to see it so peaceful.

While he looked over the city, Chatte glanced at him, thinking of what he said before she brought him here.

About how he failed, was he always so hard on himself?

Despite what they’ve been through, there’s still so little she knew about her partner.

Yes she knew why that was, but it frustrated her that they couldn’t get to know each other better because of it.

“You didn’t fail.” Beetle almost didn’t hear those words when Chatte spoke. “As long as we’re still standing Hawk Moth won’t win.”

She gripped her staff as she spoke and that was enough for her to find a button by mistake as it came apart to show a phone.

“What the-?!” Chatte stared at the phone in her staff in surprise, her tone change catching Beetle’s attention. “I have a phone?!”

Blinking as he saw that, Beetle glanced at his yo-yo and messed with it before finding that holding it sideways he can make the top open up to show a phone, their issues with the last Akuma going on the backburner of their minds at this new discovery.

They had this the whole time?!

“Tikki never said anything about this.” Beetle muttered, the name catching Chatte’s attention as she now knew his Kwami’s name.

Messing with it a bit, Chatte was able to find the number belonging to the staff and grinned. “Want to swap numbers?”

It would certainly make things easier in the future.

Beetle quickly agreed as he messed with the yo-yo to try and find out what else it could do when a map appeared on the screen along with it asking for a name.

Chatte tilted her head at that, doing the same to hers. “So what name?”

Hesitating for a bit, Beetle decided to try Ivan Bruel to see that a beacon lit up at where he had to have lived. “We have a tracker too?!”

That seems a bit too stalkerish for his tastes.

“We really need to ask our Kwami’s what else we can do.” Chatte Noire was grinning in excitement at discovering some new stuff.

Beetle smiled in agreement, finding this to be a welcoming distraction.

Plus he was a bit excited too.

Finding another function, Beetle blinked as he pulled a pencil out of the yo-yo.

Kind of random-wait, this was the pencil he used for sketching.

It was supposed to be in his bag-was the yo-yo holding the stuff in his bag?!

Unknown to him, Chatte found the camera function on her staff and took a picture of Beetle with a grin, happy to just be messing around for once.

And the face that Beetle was making over pulling a pencil out was too hilarious not to take a picture of.

Hearing the click, Beetle gave her a mortified look, not expecting for her to take a picture and that was enough for Chatte to erupt in a fit of giggles while he put the pencil back.

It took a bit for her to calm down, the two of them putting their weapons up when Beetle spoke. “We should make this a regular meet up spot in case we need to talk.” He said, finding this nice.

And from how Chatte’s ears perked up, she liked the idea too.

“I look fur-ward to it, my prince.” Chatte grinned his way.

* * *

Making it back to his room an hour later after saying goodnight to Chatte, Beetle landed on his bed with a yawn. “Tikki, Spots Off.”

Light covered him before he was back to being Maron with Tikki yawning with a smile. “Feel better?” She asked, seeing his relaxed expression.

“Much better, ran into Chatte out there and we actually talked for a bit.” He said, reaching into his desk where he had a small stash of cookies for Tikki, holding it out for her. “Thank you, I really needed that.”

Tikki gave a nod, eating the cookie with a smile. “Just be sure to go to sleep soon, you already stayed up last night.”

“I don’t plan on doing any projects tonight.” Maron promised, hoping that the small talk with his partner was enough to sleep without nightmares.

Probably not, but he was going to try.

“How come you never told me that the yo-yo was a phone?” Maron asked curiously, Tikki blinking in surprise before realization dawned on her.

“It’s because of you.”

That answer confused Maron. “Me?” He asked, pointing at himself, wondering what the Kwami was getting at.

Tikki hummed a bit, trying to think of a way to explain it. “You know how powerful your miraculous is by itself, but it’s always changing depending on who uses it,” She began, Maron paying close attention. “That’s why each user has a different look as it’s formed from your own heart.”

“... So my heart wants me to wear a skintight magic suit?” Maron asked in disbelief.

At least the scarf makes sense in that regard given his love for fashion.

Tikki just shrugged as the heart was always a unique thing for each and every person.

But she continued on as if Maron didn’t ask that.

“As it’s always changing, your weapon adapts to the era it’s in along with the technology that’s available, given how many humans have a phone, especially teenagers like you, it formed one for you.”

That actually makes some sense, so it’s because he knew about phones that it adapted into one?

He had so many questions, but Maron yawned again, reminding them of how late it was.

Tikki gave a small giggle, finishing her cookie. “We can talk more about this later, you have school tomorrow, better get some sleep.”

* * *

The next morning, Maron felt a little better as he was walking towards school, only to have Alya come out of nowhere.

“There you are!” Maron jumped as Alya was giving him a look. “Where have you been?!”

“Excuse me?” Maron asked a bit dumbfounded before Alya showed him her phone.

It had a chat page opened towards him.

‘ _ Hey where are you? Did the Akuma get to you? _ ’

‘ _ Come on answer. _ ’

‘ _ Let me know if you’re alive dammit. _ ’

Oh right, he’s been blowing off any texts going his way ever since Timebreaker.

“Sorry, my phone was dead.” Maron lied, not wanting to say anything else with Alya shaking her head, showing that she believed that considering how scatterbrained Maron could be at times.

“Nice of you to give me a heart attack.” Alya remarked in a huff. “Man yesterday was crazy, I have two sets of memories going through my head.”

“I know right?” Maron went along with that.

“Did you get grabbed in the first one?” Alya asked, remembering seeing him being saved in the second set of memories.

She’s been spending a lot of time trying to make sense of them, not knowing which one was real and because of that she didn’t know if Maron was grabbed by Timebreaker or saved.

“N-No, I was actually saved by Chatte Noire.” Maron answered without thinking with Alya raising a brow.

“You were saved twice by her in different places?” She asked, only knowing about the second one.

Maron went quiet, not sure what to say to that.

He should’ve just said he got grabbed by Timekeeper, less awkward that way.

But he didn’t want to lie anymore than necessary.

“I also got in trouble with my parents.” Maron changed the subject, looking rather awkward while Alya gave him a surprised look. “I was supposed to be waiting for someone to pick a cake up when I went to the race.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Alya asked, not expecting that.

They would’ve postponed the race until he got there with the banner.

“... I panicked.”

Yeah, that sounds about right. Maron does panic over even the smallest of things, the memory of him panicking over the derby hat contest coming to mind.

As they walked, Maron blinked as a lot of students seemed to be avoiding them as they entered the school. “What’s going on?” He asked, a bit baffled by this.

Alya shifted a bit. “Wait, you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Our class is seen as a cursed one.” Alya shook her head at Maron’s very confused look. “Out of all the Akuma’s, three of them come from our class while the others aren’t connected in any way unless you count Stormy Weather going to our school.”

Maron blinked, never realizing that.

It was rather obvious, but he’s been too busy to think about it.

“And our class is cursed because?” He asked, not getting it.

Alya rolled her eyes at the question. “They think that we’ll akumatize on the spot out of nowhere because of it.”

Oh, now it makes sense.

“That’s stupid.” Maron muttered, knowing exactly how akumatization works compared to everyone else.

Then again, not many people knew the process, so it’s not unreasonable for them to think like this.

“If you think that’s bad, you should see how Kim, Nino and that Aurore girl are treated by the other students, people are avoiding them the most,” Alya sounded rather annoyed by that. “No doubt the same will be happening to Alix when she gets here.”

Wait, people are avoiding the victims?!

How has Maron not noticed this-?

Walking around the corner, Maron walked right into someone, being knocked to the floor where the contents of his bag spilled out, a muffled squeak sounding from inside there.

‘ _ Sorry Tikki. _ ’ Maron winced at his clumsy nature showing again, and he went to apologize to the person he walked into only for his eyes to widen as he saw Annette in front of him on the ground as well, rubbing her head, Nino a bit to the side showing that they were talking when this happened. ‘ _ Seriously?! _ ’

Of all the people he could’ve knocked over.

He tried to say sorry, but the embarrassment of it just kept him silent, leaving for Annette to rub her head before seeing him and giving a sheepish smile. “Sorry Maron, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

A small muted cry came from Maron who tried to speak, with Alya shaking her head.

And here he was doing so well with talking to Annette, should’ve known it wouldn’t last.

“Neither were we.” Alya said helping Annette up as Maron sat there mortified.

But then he tried to put his stuff back in his bag, hoping that Tikki wouldn’t be mad from him shoving everything in there.

“Here let me help-.” Annette began only to go silent as she picked something up.

“Dude, is that-?” Nino sounded a little amused, leaving for Maron to look up and see Annette holding the Chatte Noire doll.

He forgot that was in his bag!

Oh man, good thing he didn’t pull that out the other night instead of the pencil, it would be even more awkward trying to explain that to Chatte.

Alya chuckled. “You sure you don’t have a crush on Chatte Noire?” She asked Maron, the question making Annette look at him in surprise, not expecting that.

She swore that Plagg was cackling in amusement from her bag while Maron’s face was red.

“O-Of course I don’t.” Maron stood up, managing to get everything in his bag, looking very flustered in embarrassment.

“Oh then why are you red?” Alya grinned at how he was being.

She knew he didn’t have a crush on the heroine, but he was making this too easy to not poke some fun at him.

Nino seemed to have caught on and joined in on the fun. “Didn’t she carry you bridal style yesterday?” He asked, remembering seeing that after Beetle knocked Timebreaker away from them. “I think Alya caught that on camera.”

“I did, want a copy?” Alya asked slyly with Maron now hiding his face in his hands, wishing for the ground to swallow him whole.

Annette kept quiet, unsure of how to take this.

She could tell they were joking, but it was about her alter ego, so she had no idea what to say.

Should she go along with it? Play it off? Say nothing?

“Please stop.” Maron’s voice was muffled due to him hiding his face.

“Don’t be embarrassed, you’re hardly the first guy to have a crush on her,” Nino elbowed him with a chuckle. “Half the guys in school made a fan club for her, just like some of the girls did for Beetle.”

That threw both of the secret heroes through a loop, neither of them knowing that.

Still, feeling some pity for Maron, Annette spoke. “It’s still pretty cool, did you make this?” She asked, seeing some similarities to his other work.

Slowly Maron gave a nod. “I-It’s for Manon.” He managed to get out.

“Ah that makes more sense.” Alya said, no longer teasing him as she remembered the hyperactive kid. “This way she’ll have something to play with the next time you babysit?”

“Babysit? Manon isn’t your sister?” Annette sounded surprised, leaving for Alya to give her a weird look.

“It’s kind of obvious, they look nothing alike.”

Hearing that made Annette flush a bit from not thinking about that. “I thought that maybe they were step siblings,” She looked away, embarrassed for jumping to conclusions like that. “I mean they acted like siblings.”

“That aside, why did you make it? Wouldn’t it be easier to buy an actual doll for her?” Nino asked curiously given how much merchandise the heroes had despite their short time being around.

“I could, but I wanted to try my hand at making one, I plan to make a Beetle one to go along with it.” Maron revealed that bit, catching Annette’s attention as she wondered if she could make a request.

But she handed the doll back to Maron. “Well it’s pretty cool, I think the real Chatte Noire would be impressed.” She said, grinning at her own joke, knowing that Maron didn’t know.

“Not you too.” Maron muttered in a low tone, thinking that Annette was going along with the teasing.

But he smiled as everyone was chuckling.

* * *

The moment Alix entered the school, she felt a bunch of eyes on her.

That was something she could ignore, mostly because she was expecting it, especially after seeing what she did as an Akuma on the news.

But then the whispers started.

“She really showed?”

“We need to go before we fade.”

“Relax, she isn’t Akumatized.”

“So?! How do we know it’s not contagious.”

“How many people do you think she killed?”

That last one nearly made Alix stop, stumbling a bit but she kept going, doing her best to ignore them.

She knew that no one was dead because of Beetle’s magic cure he seems to do, something she is very happy to know existed.

But she still remembered the horror of seeing everyone her Akuma self touched fading away on the News.

Especially when there were two of her and two sets of memories leading up to that whole event.

It was almost enough for her to not want to come to school, her Dad even insisting that she take a few days off until the news died down.

Or when someone else was Akumatized so they would be the talk.

But Alix wasn’t a coward, she could handle this.

Ivan did when it happened to him and it must’ve been worse considering he was the first Akuma, then Nino came in afterwards.

If they can do it, so can she.

Eventually, she made it to her class and entered, seeing everyone look at her with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

Truth be told, that hurt given how most of them were her friends.

“Oh look, it’s Timebreaker.” A snobbish voice called out, making Alix grit her teeth as she refrained from glaring at Chloe, who was the only one not showing any fear or uncertainty.

Instead she was checking her reflection.

A part of her was actually grateful to Chloe for acting normal compared to everyone else, but it still pissed her off.

“And who’s fault was it that I was Akumatized?” Alix asked in a sarcastic tone, still bitter over what happened to her watch.

Even if it was fixed.

“Yours.” Chloe said with no hesitation.

There was a sound as Ivan stood up, giving Chloe a look of his own, knowing first hand that wasn’t how it worked.

“What? Are you going to turn into Stoneheart for a third time?” Chloe asked looking at him, leaving Ivan to grimace as he forced the anger back down, obviously not wanting to risk being Akumatized again.

“Hey leave him alone.” Alix snapped at her.

Chloe just huffed, closing her compact mirror with a snap.

For the first time, Alix actually wished that out of all the people she made fade as Timebreaker, Chloe was a permanent one.

But she felt guilty for even thinking that.

Even if Chloe was a brat no one deserved that.

So she walked to her seat, seeing how Kim and Max who sat behind her, looked uneasy.

Then the door opened up again, showing Alya, Annette, Maron and Nino walking in, talking about some random stuff, Chloe giving a glare at seeing how Annette was hanging with them but not saying anything showing that despite how she usually was, she didn’t want to ruin things for her.

Maron looked over and saw Alix and gave a wave, surprising the roller skater.

There was no ounce of fear and uncertainty, just how he usually was.

She would’ve thought he would be uneasy around her, especially after how she blew up on him.

Alix looked away in guilt, not seeing how Maron looked worried, but they had to get to their seats while Miss Bustier entered and began teaching the class.

* * *

When lunchtime rolled around, Alix actually went to hide in the library, not wanting to be in the cafeteria where the staring would be the worst.

While she wasn’t one for being in the library, she could at least appreciate the peace and quiet.

She did have her phone out and was watching what happened with Timebreaker once again, uncertainty showing on her face.

Alix was so caught up with it, she didn’t notice someone sitting across from her until Maron spoke. “I’m pretty sure watching that isn’t doing you any good.”

Hearing his voice made Alix jump, quickly turning the screen on her phone off. “What do you want?” She asked, not caring if she sounded hostile.

She just wanted to be left alone right now.

Maron hesitated, not thinking this through but he was already here and he didn’t want to leave her to deal with this on her own, especially after hearing how the former Akuma’s were being treated. “I know you said we weren’t friends,” He began, her annoyance nearly crumbling at being reminded of what she said to him. “But if you ever need to talk, I’m here to listen.”

“Why?” Maron almost didn’t recognize Alix’s voice as she spoke after a few seconds of silence.

In all the time he’s known her, she’s never sounded so… Defeated.

Annoyed? Sure. Cocky about herself, that’s normal.

But defeated? That worried him.

When he didn’t answer, she continued. “Everyone here, they’re treating me like a disease.” She said knowing that her actions as Timebreaker affected how everyone viewed her. “But you have more of a reason to hate me.”

“If this is about how Timebreaker nearly grabbed me-.”

“It’s not.” Alix nearly shouted, refraining from doing so considering they were in the library. “What I said before I was akumatized the first time, you were trying to help and I just-.”

She couldn’t finish while Maron caught what she meant.

“Alix you were angry, I would’ve been more surprised if you didn’t lash out like that.” He said, showing that he didn’t take it personally. “If anything I was being too pushy.”

“No, you were-!” Alix cut herself off, hesitating for a split second as her shoulders dropped. “You were just being a friend.”

Out of everyone in the class only he tried to help and she took her anger out on him.

And here he was trying again when he should be just as fearful of her as the others.

If anything it was so unlike him, Maron always stayed out of everything in their class, being the shy kid who kept to himself.

And it wasn’t just to her, she heard how he was the first person to approach Ivan and try to help, she remembered seeing him stand up for Ivan against Chloe, he’s comfortable around Nino even after the Bubbler incident.

He’s even been seen giving a friendly wave to Aurore whenever they pass in the hallways, despite the confused glances he gets from the girl who used to be Stormy Weather.

No matter what, he always treats those who have been Akumatized the same without any uncertainty showing.

Just how was he able to do that?

Maron reached over and placed a hand on Alix’s shoulder. “What happened with Timebreaker wasn’t your fault,” He said in a serious tone. “And you’re not alone in that regard. Both Ivan and Nino know what you’re going through, everyone else will come around. Just give them time.”

After hearing that, Alix gave a low chuckle, shaking her head. “It’s weird, you’re starting to remind me of Beetle.” She said, not seeing Maron tense up at those words. “He gave me advice about responsibility after turning me back to normal.”

“O-Oh?” Maron had to work hard to keep his voice from quivering, trying not to give himself away.

The bell rang, showing that they needed to get back to class, but Alix did feel a lot better while Maron was grabbing his stuff, the boy now relieved due to the interruption.

“Thanks for the pep talk, Maron.” Alix said standing up, putting her phone back in her pocket. “We should hang out sometime.”

Though she wouldn’t invite him out for roller skating, Alix knew all too well how clumsy Maron was on his own feet.

No doubt he would be even worse on skates.

Maron smiled in response, happy to have helped. “Sounds like fun.”

* * *

“Ah, now this is relaxing.” Chloe said with a smirk as she managed to drag Annette over for a Spa Treatment.

Annette gave an awkward smile, both agreeing and disagreeing with her, the two of them in bathrobes now while their hands and feet were soaking after getting their nails done.

Don’t get her wrong, she loved hanging out with her friends and she hasn’t hung out with Chloe all that much lately.

But her mind was drifting to how Chloe has acted with others compared to her.

Her ring was off at the moment, in her nearby bag due to how she knew that Plagg would be bored to tears if he had to sit through this.

“So where’s Sabrina?” Annette asked curiously, wanting to get to know Chloe’s other friend.

It was great to see that she had another friend besides Annette.

Much to the model’s surprise, Chloe huffed. “She’s taking care of stuff.”

In other words, she has Sabrina doing some shopping for her.

After all, she didn’t want anyone else to intrude on her time with her friend.

Annette tilted her head before shrugging, knowing how busy life can get.

Maybe next time?

“I’ve been meaning to come here for awhile, but thanks to those Akuma’s the stores have been closed down,” Chloe scoffed, lifting her now manicured nails up to inspect them. “It got so bad I had a hangnail before I asked Daddy to make sure they were open.”

Or rather had her Daddy threaten to fire someone.

She saw Annette go quiet the moment she mentioned Akuma’s and sighed. “Are you still mad about the watch?”

Chloe didn’t see why Annette even cared.

“Chloe, you know I’m not mad.” Annette trailed off, trying to find the right words to get this across. “I’m concerned.”

“You’re mad.” Chloe said in a simple tone.

While Chloe wouldn’t care with most people, Annette was the only person she did care about in her own way.

Due to how the two grew up as friends, Annette was the only one who truly knew her.

“I just don’t see why you took the watch out of Maron’s bag.”

Hearing Maron’s name made Chloe grit her teeth, not even looking at Annette.

She just didn’t see why Annette would want to waste her time with those losers.

Sure she can understand Annette wanting friends.

It was why she agreed to help get her to the school by using her Daddy’s connections to get Annette registered.

Doing it that way made it a lot easier then it would’ve been for anyone else.

And Chloe knew that no matter how many people Annette ‘befriends’ she wouldn’t stop hanging out with her, it was how Annette was.

She just didn’t understand her choice of friends.

Nino she tolerated because despite not liking him, the teen did manage to find a way to throw Annette her first party and for that he had some of her acknowledgment.

Alya was a whole different story given the mightier than thou act she has going as if she’s someone important, Chloe’s mind flashed to every moment Alya had the nerve to stand up to her, showing a bit of a rivalry between the two.

But the one person she loathed out of all of them was Maron.

In the beginning she didn’t think much of him, being the quiet boy who knew his place.

At least until she found out about how he wanted to be like Gabriel Agreste.

That in itself made Chloe not like him due to knowing how the man was to his own daughter, to her best friend.

She’ll admit that in itself influenced how she treated him, imagining him to be Gabriel at times who she couldn’t do anything to, even with her Daddy’s connections.

Maybe she went a bit far in how she treated him, but over time it became normal and Maron always took it with no issue.

Until that day.

‘ _ Funny the only monster I see is standing right here. _ ’

‘ _ And yet you’re the one acting like a brat. _ ’

That in itself caught Chloe off guard, the day after Stoneheart’s first appearance, that insignificant loser had the nerve to call her a monster?

She wasn’t the one to go on a rampage.

Then he called her a brat on top of everything.

And it wasn’t just there.

The humiliation he caused her at the Derby Hat competition. Then somehow he managed to trick his way into being an extra at one of Annette’s photo shoots?!

He infuriated her.

Annette looked concerned at seeing the intense look of annoyance on her face. “Chloe?”

That brought the girl out of her thoughts as she took a deep breath, not wanting to blow up on Annette.

“Can we please talk about something else?” Chloe asked, not wanting to continue this line of thought.

Annette slowly gave a nod, not wanting to push away her friend as she wracked her brain to try and find a conversation starter before gaining a sly idea. “So what do you think of the heroes?”

She was rather curious in how Chloe viewed her alter-ego.

Chloe went quiet before scoffing. “The cat girl is utterly ridiculous,” She said making Annette wince. “I mean seriously, have you heard her puns? Atrocious.”

“They’re not that bad.” Annette whispered, feeling slightly insulted.

“And don’t even get me started on how she acts around Beetle, she’s flirting during disasters who does that?!” Chloe shook her head. “On top of it she’s rather incompetent, during Stoneheart she smacked him despite knowing fully well that made him stronger.”

Annette looked as she regretted bringing this topic up.

“At least with Beetle he actually focuses on the problems and takes the Akuma’s down.” Chloe huffed, remembering how Beetle did save her from death during the second Akuma incident. “He’s the competent one.”

Despite the insults hurled at her alter ego, Annette agreed with Chloe on her opinion with Beetle.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man this is the shortest chapter in this story, though it’s still a lot for a chapter with no Akuma attacks right?
> 
> It took so long because I did want to make it as long as the other chapters, but I couldn’t really think of anything else to add to it at this moment, but it did have some character interactions that I’ve been wanting to do for awhile.
> 
> For example with Beetle and Chatte Noire interacting without an incident going on, it was a lot of fun and they discovered new things about their weapons, especially since they don’t seem to show them discovering the phone functions.
> 
> Hope you liked my explanation on how they have their phones.
> 
> And then we have some things I didn’t add to the other chapters.
> 
> For example, with the whole Akuma thing, realistically you would think that people would avoid the ‘Victims’ because of their akumatization, people fear the unknown so it makes sense that the former Akuma’s would be victimized by other people despite how they weren’t willing to be villains.
> 
> Truth be told, I didn’t even think about it until I got to this point and I had to keep myself from banging my head on a table out of annoyance for not doing this earlier and I was going over the other chapters, trying to see if I should fix that by adding them in or not before deciding on the latter.
> 
> So I played it off with Maron being too busy to really notice it until now, Annette hasn’t noticed it either but she has a lot on her plate too along with being rather passive due to her influences.
> 
> It was fun getting into Alix’s head during this because out of all the Akuma’s, hers was the worst considering everything that happened, which made the fact that Maron reached out as a friend all the better for her.
> 
> Finally I finally managed to type a scene showing Annette’s friendship with Chloe. And I think I did a good job of showing how different she is with Annette compared to everyone else because Annette is her ‘real’ friend.
> 
> With everyone else she would be nasty, but growing up as Annette’s friend, she does care for her in her own way.
> 
> Along with that we see the reason behind her disdain for Maron which I hope to add more to in the future which will lead to her development.
> 
> And I want to make something clear, I said that I would have non Akuma villains show up like how I had Control Freak show up as an Akuma, that doesn’t make this story a crossover because those villains will have their backstories changed in a way to fit into the Miraculous Universe.


	9. Copybug

“How about inviting her to a movie then?” Tikki suggested to Maron who was out on the balcony leading to his room, sitting in the nearby chair.

It’s been about a week since Timebreaker with the fashion designer expecting a new Akuma at any point now, though it didn’t stop his crush on Annette from growing stronger.

That was something that frustrated Maron who wanted to try and be friends with her, not thinking he would have a chance, but every time he did see her, that crush was getting stronger instead of disappearing.

So he went to Tikki for advice, part of him hoping that she knew how to get rid of it altogether.

Instead, she was trying to give him advice on how to go for it despite the fact that he didn’t want to put Annette on the spot by asking her out.

“Tikki, can you just imagine how that would go?” Maron asked with a raised brow, thinking of all the times he said nothing but gibberish and how instead of getting better he regressed back to that after walking into her.

It happened so often you would think that Annette would avoid him or be weirded out.

Yet instead of doing that, she just smiled and nodded along as if he made perfect sense.

She also practically carried the conversation whenever they interacted.

Why was he so pathetic in trying to talk to her?

He can talk to other girls just fine.

Alya? No problem.

Alix? Easy.

Chloe? He’s pretty sure she doesn’t count as a girl, but he has no trouble standing up to her now.

Chatte Noire? Their banter was pretty fun when they didn’t have a situation going on and she was easy to talk to while he was Beetle when she wasn’t joking with her flirting.

Annette? Might as well start digging a grave to hide in because he’ll die of embarrassment long before he can try to ask her out.

Tikki just flew down with a playful look. “I think it’ll go along the lines of ‘Hey Annette would you movie like guh to blegh?’” She purposely messed up her words, mimicking the gibberish that Maron normally said pretty easily.

“Exactly my point,” Maron wasn’t one bit insulted due to how true that was. “Nice impression by the way.”

He meant it too.

Tikki just giggled at how he was being.

“I can’t help it, the way she smiles could light up a room,” Maron gave a lovestruck look on his face, getting up from his chair to walk towards the railing where he glanced up at the cloud, imagining her face. “The way she laughs could bring a smile to the most miserable person and she’s so kind to everyone.”

The more he spoke, the more obvious the lovestruck look became on his face as he leaned on the rail, placing a hand on his cheek.

“If Alya was here, I think she would say you have it bad.” Tikki landed in his hair, with a smile.

That broke Maron out of his thoughts. “I know, it’s just she’s amazing and I’m-.” He paused trying to find the right words before sighing in defeat. “And I’m me.”

He was clumsy, tongue tied and awkward.

And doesn’t know how to fix that part of himself and when he’s awkward he tends to try and be quiet which makes everything creepy looking.

There’s no way a girl like Annette would ever go for a guy like him.

Hearing that, the smile fell off of Tikki’s face. “Maron there’s nothing wrong with being you.” She said, seeing a part of the problem.

‘ _ I beg to differ. _ ’ Maron thought but he knew better than to say that.

Hearing no answer, Tikki got off his head and landed on his shoulder. “Trust me, the best way to be around someone you like is yourself, trying to be someone you’re not isn’t worth considering.”

“Being who I am makes me weak in the knees whenever I see her.” Maron pointed out to her, leaving for Tikki to smirk.

“So what you’re saying is that the only way you can be yourself around her is if you were blindfolded?” Tikki asked, only for Maron to sigh.

“Knowing my luck, that wouldn’t work-ow.”

“My point is that there’s a simple solution to the problem,” Tikki told him after flicking his forehead, watching him rub it in annoyance. “Your Cell Phone, just ask her over the phone to go to the movies.”

“But I don’t have her number.” Maron said, not wanting to risk it. “Just imagine how that one will go.”

He could already see it now with him messing up the sentence.

‘Hey number, can I have your Annette?’

And that’s if he could get a word out instead of being tongue tied.

Tikki smirked and flew into his bag, confusing Maron before his eyes bugged out when she came out with his phone now ringing for Alya.

“Tikki!” Maron panicked and grabbed the phone, attempting to hang up only for Alya to answer.

“ _ Sup Maron, what’s going on? _ ”

Giving Tikki an unamused look as the Kwami motioned for him to continue, Maron took a deep breath before deciding to hell with it. “Hey Alya, you wouldn’t happen to know Annette’s number would you?”

There was a pause before Alya spoke. “ _ You mean to say you don’t have her number? _ ” A playful edge was evident in her tone.

Maron’s face went red. “Uh I-uh-well-you see… No.”

Did he just squeak?

He swore that Alya was trying to muffle her own laughter. “ _ I’ll be right over. _ ”

With that said, Alya hung up, leaving for Maron to sigh, knowing that today was most likely to be a roller coaster.

But if it worked, he might be going to the movies with Annette.

The thought made butterflies flutter in his stomach before he made a face.

He can’t get carried away, Annette could still say no.

Or she could say no and be creeped out by him and never speak to him again-.

“Maron!” Tikki flew in front of his face. “Breathe, that won’t happen.”

“... I said that out loud didn’t I?” Maron realied, now embarrassed.

Tikki gave a nod with Maron sighing and heading into his room to wait for Alya.

But he couldn’t help but have the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.

Something important.

* * *

A crowd was gathering in the Place des Vosges with what looked to be a statue that was covered by a tarp, the Mayor talking to the crowd while a young sixteen year old teen with brown hair tied up in a bun gazed at the covered statue with his orange-brown eyes showing how nervous he was.

As he tapped his foot, the teen glanced at his watch that he wore beneath a black dress jacket that was unbuttoned to show a simple purple shirt and black dress pants.

Seeing the time for the unveiling getting closer, the teen chewed on his sucker that was currently in his mouth.

It was almost time to unveil his work.

Not only would this cement his place as a sculptor, but the fact that out of everyone he was the first person to make an actual statue of them.

It was mind blowing.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, the teen jumped as the Mayor gave him a calm smile, seeing how nervous he was.

“I’m sure you’ve outdone yourself Theo.” Mayor Bourgeois told him, knowing how it was to be nervous.

He was in the same boat given who this statue was of.

Theo Barbot gave a nod. “I really hope Beetle and Chatte Noire appreciate this.” He said looking at the tarp with pride. “It’s been an honor to make it.”

The very first statue of the Heroes of Paris, being unveiled in honor for them protecting civilians from Hawk Moth and the Akumas.

This has to go perfect.

Reaching into his jacket, Theo pulled out a newspaper clipping that showed both the heroes fighting side by side.

Even after being around for only six weeks, they were the biggest news in Paris with people wanting to know all they can about the heroes.

This picture was what helped him in designing the statue, but as he stared, he found himself looking at Chatte Noire a bit before shaking his head.

He will admit he had a bit of a crush on the heroine, but seriously who doesn’t?

Not like it matters, she was a superhero and he was just a normal guy.

Not to mention no one knows how old they were, they could be in their mid twenties or early thirties for all everyone knows, though people do doubt the latter.

More than that, there were rumors that she and Beetle were a couple and people loved that, actually shipping them together in their own way.

Kind of creepy that people were doing that with two real people, but Theo didn’t judge.

‘ _ I might not have a chance with her, but maybe I can get an autograph? _ ’

* * *

“Okay, we know you can’t improv to save your life,” Alya said, holding a notebook as she paced in Maron’s room. “So we need you to stick to the script.”

Maron should feel insulted, but he agreed with Alya on that.

He panics so much when put on the spot that it’s a mystery on how he’s kept a secret identity for so long.

“Or I could just text her?” Maron suggested with Alya blinking at that.

“That’s actually a better idea, less chance of saying something embarrassing.”

Maron gave a nod as he glanced over the script before giving a start. “What the-?! Why are there pick up lines here?!”

“Boy you need all the help you can get.” Alya said in a simple tone.

“It’s just to the movies.” Maron pointed out to her, not wanting to make this weird.

It was more of a feel for a date than an actual one.

Plus pick up lines, seriously?

“Maron, you’re becoming my best friend and all but it’s not just to the movies, it’s a first step to showing Annette you like her,” Alya said, making his face go red. “If you don’t you’re going to end up friendzoned at this rate.”

Maron shifted at that point.

“So here’s how it’ll work, if she accepts, I’ll help out from the shadows.”

“How? Are you going to go to the movies in a jacket and fedora, whispering inside of a walkie talkie-?” Maron stopped when he saw Alya grinning. “You’re kidding me.”

“I wouldn’t wear a jacket or a fedora, that’s just being obvious, but I do have a bluetooth you can borrow to whisper advice in your ear.”

“... You’re insane.”

And he means it.

“I think you mean awesome.” Alya said, not even missing a beat.

She knew that she could seem insane given how she chases after the Akumas for her blog, but she would say that she’s just passionate about what she does.

And honestly, Maron would be too shy to actually speak if left by himself.

So either she helped from the shadows, or things would get awkward real fast between the two.

Rolling his eyes, Maron added the number into his contacts and opened up the messaging app.

At that point he hesitated because it might weird Annette out that he suddenly had her number, but he typed.

He had to delete and restart a few times, seeing how impatient Alya seemed to get from how long he was taking, but didn’t want to make a mistake here.

‘ _ Hey Annette, this is Maron, if it’s alright, do you want to hang out sometime? I mean if you want to. _ ’

Reading it over, Maron showed Alya who raised a brow.

“Man you sound nervous in your texts.” She grinned at the face he was making.

“I’m trying to sound normal-wait how do I sound weird in texting?”

“If it’s alright?” Alya repeated without hesitating. “And that last part, seriously?”

Flushing, Maron deleted the parts she pointed out.

‘ _ Hey Annette, this is Maron, do you want to hang out sometime? _ ’

“Much better.” Alya told Maron who gave a nod and sent the message. “Now we play the waiting game.”

Maron felt nervous as he wondered how she would react to the message.

But it was too late because he can’t delete the message.

Unless he stole her phone and there was no way he was going to do something like that.

A buzzing went off with Maron checking his phone immediately, only to realize that it was Alya’s phone going off.

“Oh man I forgot, they’re unveiling the statues of Beetle and Chatte Noire today!” Alya squealed in excitement.

“They are?!” Maron asked, straightening up in a panic.

That’s what he was forgetting! Beetle is supposed to be there.

His question earned him a confused look from Alya. “Why do you sound so panicked? You never said anything about going.”

“Uh because if I knew I wouldn’t have wasted your time, you need this for your blog right?” Maron quickly lied, remembering how dedicated she was to her blog.

“Boy it’s not a waste, I still have time.” Alya told him with a grin as she pulled out her phone. “I’ll see you later, tell me how Annette responds.”

Seeing her leave, Maron sighed but was a bit conflicted on how easy that lie came.

He didn’t know how to feel about that.

But Tikki came out of hiding. “Come on, you need to be there as Beetle.”

Maron gave a nod, not wanting to be rude. “You’re right. Tikki, Spots On!”

Now as Beetle, he got ready to leave.

* * *

“Aaaaah!” Plagg screamed, nearly dropping his camembert as he sat in Annette’s locker, waiting for her to finish her fencing class.

The reason he screamed was because of her phone choosing to go off while he was sitting on it, scaring him.

Looking at it, he saw it was a text from an unknown number before he turned away and bit into the cheese.

Probably one of those spam texts that Annette told him about?

Meh, she can handle it when she gets back.

“Ahhh~.” Plagg savored the cheese, having small bites to make it last longer.

Meanwhile in the Gym, Annette who was dressed up in a fencing uniform managed to take down another opponent with ease before lifting her mask showing her hair braided up in a ponytail.

“Nice match, I need to get a drink of water. I’ll be right back.”

That was the excuse she was giving when in reality she needed to hurry for the statue unveiling.

It was something she was very excited for.

Not because of the statue itself, though she did find it amazing that they were getting one, she won’t lie about that.

But it would be another occasion of hanging out with her prince, something she enjoyed immensely.

Making it to her locker, Annette coughed as she opened her bag to see Plagg, laid out after eating all of the cheese, the smell nearly making her sick. “Really Plagg?!”

There isn’t enough air freshener to get rid of that smell.

“You have a new text message.” Plagg said before burping.

Blinking, Annette reached in to grab her phone, her kwami flying out to land on her shoulder in a curious manner. “Don’t recognize the number-,” She muttered before reading it. “Oh it’s from Maron.”

Annette wondered how he got her number before shrugging and moving to add him to her contacts.

She did have Alya and Nino’s number, but now that she thought about it she never did get Maron’s.

And she loved to hang out with another friend.

As she did that, her eyes widened at seeing the time.

“I’ll have to text him back later, we’re late,” She put her phone back in the locker before taking her glove off. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

* * *

Beetle was the first to arrive, landing near the tarp where the Mayor and the artist were, the audience erupting in cheers the moment he landed. “Beetle, how nice of you to arrive!” Mayor Bourgeois greeted, clapping his hands with a smile.

“T-Thanks.” Beetle forced down the nervousness at this, feeling rather self-conscious at the moment.

It wasn’t the first time he’s been in front of so many people, but he had Akuma’s to keep his mind off of this.

Here he didn’t have that.

Though he did see Officer Roger frowning his way before he began looking out over the crowd, showing that the man still didn’t trust him or Chatte Noire.

Beetle had no clue how to fix that to be honest.

But he waved at the crowd before looking at Theo. “You must be the artist, it’s an honor to meet you.” He said, holding out his hand to be nice.

He did recognize him given how Theo was an upperclassmen at the school.

“The honor is mine.” Theo accepted the handshake. “Name’s Theo.”

Beetle gave a nod, glancing out over the crowd and he could actually see some people he recognized from when he helped out at the Bakery-.

Wait, was that Control Freak?

He looked closer to see Jeffery Alexander taking a picture, waving at him in excitement.

Along with some people avoiding him, showing more proof on how some people don’t trust the former Akuma’s.

So he gave a nod and waved back at him, seeing a look of joy on his face, clearly making his day.

Perhaps he’ll say hi and make sure he’s okay later-?

“Um is Chatte Noire coming?” Theo asked a bit nervously, surprising Beetle.

“To be honest, I’m surprised I got here before she did,” He admitted with a shrug, but chalking that up to living right across the street from the park. “She was excited to hear about this the last we spoke.”

Ever since they exchanged numbers on their weapons, Chatte always took the time to text him a few times a day.

Basically they used it as a way to learn more about the other without giving out information on their identities.

Well that and sometimes Chatte sent him memes that made him want to face palm repeatedly.

From what he read, she was really looking forward to this.

Seeing Theo look down, Beetle smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Trust me, she won’t miss this for the world.”

As if on cue, Chatte landed in front of the statue with a grin. “You know meow so well, my prince.”

Rolling his eyes at the pun as the crowd cheered, Beetle saw Alya with her phone out, trying to catch both heroes in a shot for her blog.

So he gave her a small two fingered salute in her direction, seeing her squeal.

While that was happening, Theo swallowed nervously at seeing Chatte Noire so close while she waved at the crowd.

He had no idea what to say to her.

“Excuse me, Chatte Noire?” Theo began, making the girl glance at him in a curious manner. “C-Can you sign this for me?”

He held out the newspaper clipping with Chatte smiling in a friendly way.

True, she didn’t like giving out autographs due to the number of times she did it as Annette, she didn’t mind doing it as Chatte Noire.

“Sure, hey Beetle you still have that pencil?”

Hearing the question, Beetle pulled out his yo-yo and pulled his sketch pencil out of it, earning some awe whispers when he did so.

That was certainly a way to show it off.

“Here.” He tossed it to Chatte who easily caught it without looking.

As she signed it, Mayor Bourgeois commenced the ceremony. “It’s only proper for Paris to pay homage to those who protect us from evil.” He said, making a gesture to allow someone to pull off the tarp. “Beetle and Chatte Noire!”

Claps could be heard as the statue was revealed to the world and Beetle had to say it was awesome.

Even if he thought it was unnecessary, it was rather impressive.

“Amazing, though I’m slightly taller than Beetle.” Chatte Noire tilted her head before pointing it out.

“It’s still a great statue, your work is impressive Theo.” Beetle told him as Theo gave a nod, happy to have the autograph but slightly down at hearing the critique.

It shouldn’t bother him that much given how critiques were what helped him get better, but hearing it from a hero he admired?

“Can I get a picture for the Beetleblog?” Alya called out.

“Kind of wish she called it something else.” Beetle muttered because the name Beetleblog made it sound like he was the sole hero when that was the furthest from the case.

Maybe Miraculous Blog?

Though it’s already too late given how long the blog has been up.

“Well I think it’s purrfect.” Chatte Noire grinned his way, tossing the pencil back at him.

Thankfully as Beetle, he can catch it as opposed to before where he would miss and it would hit him in the head.

Placing it back in his yo-yo, Beetle waved a bit more at the crowd, once more putting on a show of being confident.

Seeing that, Chatte followed his lead.

Though she was a bit down not to get a small smile for the pun, her ears lowered in slight disappointment.

She knew that Beetle didn’t mind the puns, but the talk with Chloe was going through her head.

Were they really that bad?

Seeing the crowd beginning to disperse, the two heroes knew that they would have to leave soon, though there were still some stragglers that wanted to take another picture of the heroes.

Theo was nearby folding the tarp up to take back to his studio.

“Enjoying yourself?” Chatte Noire asked, flashing Beetle a grin.

“Kind of, I mean it’s strange.” Beetle rubbed the back of his head, looking from the dispersing crowd to the statue. “I guess I’m not really used to this.”

Unlike a certain cat who definitely knew how to play the crowd.

That honestly impressed Beetle.

Just how was she able to be at ease like that when he had to force himself to be?

“Could’ve fooled me.” Chatte recalled how he spoke to the crowd after Hawk Moth’s announcement.

It was still strange to see the difference between that and now.

But she placed that in the back of her mind.

Instead she pulled out her staff and activated the camera picture. “Smile.” She said, taking a selfie with Beetle, having the statue in the background with him having a look of surprise.

“What was that about?” Beetle asked, not expecting that.

“What? I’m no photographer, but I can picture us together.” Chatte Noire said with no hesitation.

Beetle stared for a few seconds. “Did you take a picture just so you could make that joke?”

Seriously, that sounded rehearsed.

“Nope, just came up with it.” Chatte Noire was trying not to laugh at his expression. “Purr-ty claw-ver, am I right?”

“Oi.” Beetle muttered with Chatte giggling.

Neither of them were aware of Theo who was glancing at them.

Seeing the two of them flirt just reminded him of how he didn’t have anyone like that in his life.

And he couldn’t help but feel a tad bit jealous of Beetle that he tried to push down, instead he finished packing the last of his supplies and stood up to leave.

“Anyways it was great to meet you both, thank you again.” Theo said with a forced smile.

He needed to go so he could calm down.

However no matter how deep he pushed the small feeling of jealousy down, it was enough to be noticed.

* * *

“Sadness and jealousy, a perfect formula for disaster,” Hawk Moth grinned, feeling the dark feelings coming from Theo. “How ironic that these feelings were caused by Beetle and Chatte Noire.”

To think they helped create this one without knowing.

“Fly my Akuma,” Hawk Moth filled a butterfly with his power, adding a bit more in hopes of winning this time. “And corrupt him.”

Watching as it flew off, Hawk Moth then frowned, recalling the bunny hero that showed up last time.

He’ll need to do something about her if she shows her face again.

* * *

Making it to his studio, Theo sighed. “Come on you’re being an idiot.” He told himself.

Jealous of Beetle?

No, he admires him and Chatte Noire both.

He was just lonely and seeing them like that made it painfully clear.

“Maybe I should try a dating app?” Theo muttered to himself, not seeing the Akuma flying in until it flew into his jacket. “Huh?!”

No was that-?

Rational thought left his head as the Akuma merged with the autographed picture, an outline of a mask appearing on his face.

“Hello Copybug, I am Hawk Moth,” Hawk Moth could just imagine the defeat of the heroes this time. “Once you get rid of Beetle, you can take his place and Chatte Noire will be yours, forever.”

Ensuring he gets the Miraculous and both heroes pay for getting in his way.

And what better way to get rid of a hero then to destroy their image?

Deep down, Theo screamed at himself to fight it, but right now the dark magic just made him give a sinister smirk.

“I accept.”

Dark energy coursed through him as he was turned into a perfect copy of Beetle.

* * *

Making it to his room, Beetle sighed as he jumped through the window, landing on his back on the bed. “Tikki, Spots Off.”

That was exhausting.

Tikki giggled at how tired he looked.

Seeing that, Maron had the urge to roll his eyes but ignored it.

Instead he wanted to take a nap.

“I really hope I don’t have to do anything like that again.” Maron muttered to himself, opening his eyes to look out the window above his bed.

Akumas were easy compared to that.

But at least he didn’t have to deal with it alone.

And he’ll admit that it was pretty cool to have a statue built in their honor.

Or rather in Beetle and Chatte Noire’s honor.

Reaching for his phone, Maron looked sad that he didn’t seem to get a reply from Annette and sighed.

“Really hope I didn’t make things weird.”

“You really need to stop thinking of the worst case scenario.” Tikki told him.

Maron just shrugged before deciding to turn on the TV so Tikki had something to watch while he took his nap. “Are you fine with getting a cookie from your stash?”

Tikki gave a nod, quickly zooming off towards the desk, earning a chuckle before Maron yawned and rolled over.

He easily fell asleep when a reply from Annette came through.

* * *

Whispers broke out as ‘Beetle’ landed in the Louvre, calmly walking through the halls with a smirk, several phones out to take a picture of him, some of them taking video footage.

‘ _ Perfect. _ ’ Copybug thought, having several witnesses to this before he straight up grabbed the Mona Lisa off the wall, earning several gasps.

“Don’t mind me, just stealing this.” He said, his voice sounding exactly like Beetle’s when he grabbed it.

“Hey!” The security guard went to stop him, but Copybug grabbed his wrist, twisting it and kicked him back, sending him skidding across the floor, clutching a now broken wrist.

He looked around, seeing shocked and scandalized faces before he used his yo-yo to swing up, breaking through the skylight.

That should be enough to ruin his image.

* * *

Making it to her room, Annette sat on the small couch, feet kicked up on the table as she sent a reply back to Maron, saying she’d love to hang out.

Of course, she would need to look at her schedule to see when she would be free given the amount of stuff her father has her do.

But it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle to find some time to be free.

While waiting, Annette thought back to the statue with a grin.

The ceremony was amazing.

Hearing her phone buzz, Annette checked to see if it was Maron, only to blink at a news feed with the title. ‘Grand Theft Beetle.’

Cocking her head to the side in confusion, Annette opened the link only for her mouth to drop at seeing video footage submitted of Beetle stealing the Mona Lisa.

“ _ And in some astonishing news, there has been a theft at the Louvre, _ ” Nadja said, a look on her face showing how much this shocked her. “ _ Amateur footage showed without a shadow of doubt that the thief is none other than the famous Beetle who caused serious injury to one of the guards before making off with the painting. _ ”

Annette saw ‘Beetle’ glanced at the people recording with a dark grin that looked unnatural and she knew.

That wasn’t Beetle.

It couldn’t be.

Seeing the footage being shown again, Annette saw this faker with a sucker in his mouth and suddenly her mind flashed back to Theo who also had one.

“Oh this isn’t good.” Plagg leaned in on the phone, now seeing what it is.

“ _ Thank you and now for the weather. _ ”

“No it isn’t, come on Beetle is being framed.” Annette put her phone down with a frown on her face.

* * *

“Maron!” Tikki shook his shoulder in a fit of panic, rousing him from his very short nap while the news changed to show the weather. “Wake up, wake up, wake up!”

“Tikki? What did Annette text?” Maron lightly waved his hand to get her to stop, turning in the bed to fall back asleep.

“No! There’s video footage of you stealing the Mona Lisa!”

“Oh? That’s nice.” Maron muttered sleepily.

Two seconds later, the words registered.

“Wait…  _ I DID WHAT?! _ ”

* * *

Beetle landed on the rooftop across from the Louvre, seeing countless officers with Riot Gear ready and he had to say he was nervous.

It wasn’t just the Akuma he had to deal with, but he needed to avoid the Police.

He had to find a way to clear his name.

But he needed to find out where this fake Beetle was and why he was being framed.

No doubt this fake was an Akuma, how else would someone happen to look and sound just like him?

As he glanced at the Louvre in thought, Beetle was unaware that he was already seen until he heard the sounds of a helicopter and turned, seeing quite a few Police ones.

The door of one opened to show Officer Roger with a megaphone. “It’s over Beetle, give yourself up.”

Taking a step back, Beetle steeled himself. “I’m not the thief!” He called out before swinging off.

That set off a chase with the helicopters chasing after him as he swung through the city.

While he swung, he saw countless people pointing up at him, taking pictures of the chase.

What’s more, he saw how fearful they looked of him.

Do they really believe he’s the thief?

After everything he’s done, all the Akuma’s he helped stop, they really believe that he would just suddenly steal the Mona Lisa like that?

Landing on a rooftop, Beetle heard his yo-yo ring and answered it to see a video call from Chatte Noire.

Just like that a flicker of fear shot through him.

D-Did she believe this too?

“ _ Beetle are you alright? _ ” Chatte asked, concern in her tone, the background on her end moving, showing that she was running. “ _ I can see the chase on the news. _ ”

“I’m fine, what’s happening on your end?” Beetle asked, glancing back as he jumped to another rooftop, seeing countless police cars chasing after him.

He supposed he should be lucky no one is shooting a gun at him.

How long that will last is up for debate though.

“ _ Looking for signs of your fake. _ ”

Relief flooded over Beetle at hearing that. “Thank you for not falling for this.”

Chatte just grinned on her end. “ _ The only thing you’re guilty of stealing is my heart. _ ”

Ignoring that part, Beetle jumped to another rooftop where a couple was making out, scaring them as he ran by. “Sorry!” He called out before continuing the conversation. “Any ideas on who the fake is?”

“ _ The sculptor, he had a sucker in his mouth much like the fake you did. _ ” Chatte Noire revealed. “ _ I’m going to check his studio to see if he stashed the painting there. _ ”

“Theo?” Beetle sounded surprised.

What did he do to piss him off?

But he already had a plan to get the police off his tail.

“I’ll lose the police and meet you there, be careful.”

* * *

It took Chatte Noire no time at all to find the studio, looking through the roof window before using her claws to pick the lock.

It was something Plagg had her practice in case she needed it and she will admit, it was pretty fun to pick locks like this.

Once it opened, Chatte jumped in there, immediately hiding behind one of the props.

“Alright Theo, where are you?” Chatte muttered, looking around.

So far it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Slowly she snuck out of her hiding spot and looked around before her ear twitched at hearing someone drop behind her.

“Man, never thought I’d be chased by the Police like that.” Beetle muttered, brushing himself off, earning a smile from Chatte. “Find anything?”

“So far nothing, I just don’t get it, why would Theo be Akumatized?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Beetle muttered, looking over the different sketches. “Still these are impressive.”

“No argument there.” Chatte Noire looked around before her eyes widened. “Hold up.”

Moving to where a few different paintings were, Chatte Noire moved a few of them to show the Mona Lisa.

“Beetle, I found it.” She said before her staff started to ring.

The second she realized what that meant, it was too late as the yo-yo wrapped around her a few times, rendering her immobile as she fell to the side.

How could she be so stupid?! She knew that the fake looked exactly like Beetle and she still let her guard down.

“Nicely done, Chatte Noire.” Copybug said, clapping his hand before grabbing her staff. “Wow, these are phones too? You guys have some unique weapons.”

“Theo.” Chatte looked at him, making Copybug frown.

“It’s Copybug.”

Managing to sit herself up despite being tied, Chatte glared his way. “Why are you doing this?”

While she spoke, Chatte was already using her claws to cut through the wire which thankfully wasn’t as strong as the real Beetle’s yo-yo.

Copybug approached Chatte and knelt down with a smirk.

It was so strange, seeing that on Beetle’s face.

“I’m not like the other Akumas, I haven’t actually hurt anyone.”

Chatte Noire frowned. “Security guard.” She reminded him of what she heard on the news.

“... Almost anyone.” Copybug didn’t look that perturb before he did something that caught Chatte off guard.

He caressed her cheek.

Now she was starting to feel a little creeped out.

‘ **_Stop this small talk and grab her Miraculous!_ ** ’ Hawk Moth demanded, earning a frown from Copybug.

“I’m getting it, calm down.”

With that said, he reached over to grab where the ring was before a yo-yo wrapped around his arm as the real Beetle was standing at the skylight before pulling to reel Copybug before throwing him away from the studio and chasing off after him.

Chatte Noire sighed in relief before she got back to work on cutting the wires, feeling them become loose.

* * *

‘ _ He really does look like me. _ ’ Beetle thought finding it odd at how this was the second time he was seeing himself in less than a week.

At least the first time it really was him.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t the hero himself, how’d you like seeing your image destroyed?” Copybug asked, easily landing on his feet.

“It’s over Theo.”

“It’s Copybug and no, when this is over you’ll be taken care of and Chatte Noire will be mine.” Copybug told Beetle who’s eyes widened at what he was hearing.

That was the last thing he expected for this Akuma to say.

“There’s no way that would happen, Chatte would never fall for that.” Beetle said, shaking his head while Copybug just gave an infuriating smirk.

“Oh trust me, I have a plan.” He said, his eyes falling to his yo-yo, making Beetle glance at it in confusion.

Beetle glanced back only to see Copybug in the air, doing a flip to kick at Beetle who leaned back and threw his yo-yo to wrap him up, but he grabbed the wire and pulled Beetle in, kicking him back, forcing him to let go of the yo-yo that he grabbed right when Chatte made it to the roof, having freed herself.

“Chatte, they’re in his earrings!” Copybug shouted with Beetle’s eyes widening.

Because Copybug had his yo-yo, Chatte no doubt believed that was the real one.

And that was proven correct as Chatte ran at him, twirling her staff with Beetle jumping back. “No Chatte, it’s me!”

“Not falling for it, Theo!” Chatte called out, still kicking herself for being tricked the first time when it was clear that it wasn’t him.

Trying to think of how to convince Chatte, Beetle came up with a way, ducking a swipe. “There were three timelines with Timebreaker, we spoke on the Eiffel Tower the night that mess happened and the person who sent me back was Bunnyx.”

That made Chatte stop given how there was no way Copybug would know any of that.

“Beetle?” Chatte Noire asked, now angry that she fell for it twice.

Beetle gave a sigh of relief as they both turned towards Copybug who frowned at how that didn’t work.

He didn’t hear what was said, but it was no doubt something only the two of them knew.

That didn’t matter, he can still win this by taking their Miraculous for Hawk Moth.

What’s more, the real Beetle was without his weapon, so he’ll be easy to take out.

Spinning the yo-yo, Copybug ran at them to slice through Beetle who jumped back only for Chatte to block the weapon with her staff, twisting it to where the end was pointing at Copybug before it extended, nailing him in the chest, sending him flying back.

As he flew back, Beetle ran in, his hand reaching for the yo-yo, but Copycat quickly flipped in the air, landing on his feet and jumped forward to tackle Beetle off the rooftop this time throwing the yo-yo in the process with a smirk.

Seeing that, Chatte jumped after them, landing as the two of them rolled on the street. “This cliche is purr-ty tiresome.” Chatte Noire muttered.

“Chatte it’s me, we need to stop him.” Copybug said looking panicked.

“Will you cut that out, I’m the real Beetle!”

“That’s what a fake would say!”

Looking between the two, Chatte smirked as an idea came to her. “What’s the very first thing I said to you Beetle?” She called out, catching them off guard.

Copybug hesitated, not knowing while Beetle chuckled.

He remembered this well enough given the nature of how they met.

“It was a pun after I crashed into you the first time I used my yo-yo,” Beetle revealed, grinning at Chatte. “I believe the exact words were ‘Nice of you to drop in’.”

Chatte smiled before making her staff extend to nail Copybug again, leaving Beetle free to grab his yo-yo, ready to end this.

Hopefully it’ll give him something to keep them from confusing Chatte because it was getting old.

“Lucky Charm!” He called out, summoning the object only to be confused.

A Marker?

“You have a plan?” Chatte asked, watching as Copybug got up rather easily with an annoyed look. “Or do you need a distraction?”

Looking around, Beetle came up with an idea and grinned. “I have one, but I need to get close.”

Giving a nod, Chatte rushed at Copybug, gripping her staff tightly.

As she swung it, she was surprised when it separated into two different staffs, nearly dropping one as she blocked a punch from Copybug.

Grinning at this new development, Chatte jumped over Copybug and swung one staff that he blocked with his arm before he unleashed a kick that she blocked with the second staff, doing a flip to give herself some space.

Copybug gritted his teeth at how this was going.

Especially since they were fighting on the street and countless people could see two Beetle’s in the same place, pictures and videos being taken so his plan to destroy Beetle’s reputation was in tatters.

Instead he focused on Chatte who made a mocking ‘come here’ gesture.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Chatte Noire asked spinning both staffs to block a hit, making Copybug grab his wrist in pain before he ducked and weaved around her swipes.

In the process, Chatte easily reconnected her staff to use like a fencing sword, managing to hit Copybug a few times.

“Dammit, why? What does he have that I don’t?” Copybug demanded, not seeing how Beetle was getting close behind him, uncapping the marker. “I love you, unlike him.”

He wasn’t blind in seeing how Beetle seemingly ignored her flirting.

“Look I’m flattered, but this isn’t the way to earn someone's love.” Chatte Noire told him, knowing that Theo’s emotions were just amplified by Hawk Moth.

Didn’t make it any less awkward though.

Copybug didn’t get the chance to answer as Beetle jumped over him, swiping the marker over his face, leaving him with a red diagonal line showing.

Quickly capping the marker, Beetle placed it in his yo-yo with a grin. “Good luck trying to confuse her now.”

Placing a hand on his new mark, Copybug glared at Beetle with the two now trying to find out where the Akuma was.

“He mentioned earrings, think that’s where it is?” Beetle asked Chatte who twitched her tail nervously.

Especially when Beetle’s earrings beeped, now showing two dots.

They needed to hurry fast.

“No, he wouldn’t draw attention to it.” Chatte denied, looking at him, trying to find out where it could be-. “His yo-yo, what if he can store objects like you can?”

Eyes widening, Beetle rushed off towards the studio and it seemed they were right given how Copybug panicked and tried to follow only for Chatte to knock him down with her staff, landing with a foot on his chest and the staff aimed at his face.

* * *

Another beep sounded as Beetle landed in the studio, seeing the destroyed yo-yo, knowing he had only one spot left.

So he ran and opened up the yo-yo, seeing that it was very different.

Unlike his which connected to his bag, this one just opened up to show how hollowed out it was, where the autographed picture was.

Upon seeing it, Beetle immediately tore it in two as the Akuma came out for him to purify.

“That should take care of it.” Beetle released the purified butterfly and took the marker out, throwing it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug.”

The moment he activated that, his earrings beeped one last time and he was turned back to Maron, now panicking.

Crap, he had to get out of here!

“Beetle?” Hearing Chatte’s voice, Maron took a step back before seeing the folded up tarp and gained an idea.

* * *

Chatte Noire relaxed the moment Copybug turned into Theo who shook his head. “W-What happened?” He muttered before seeing a hand offering to help him up. “C-Chatte Noire?”

“Good to see that you’re back to normal Theo.” Chatte said with a friendly smile as he accepted the hand up.

Back to normal-?

Was he Akumatized?

“Please tell me I didn’t hurt anyone.” Theo pleaded, reading all about the damages the Akuma’s could cause.

Chatte winced at that. “Look you weren’t yourself no one can blame you-.” She began only to see Theo looking ready to have a panic attack. “One person had a broken wrist but Beetle’s cure would fix that easily.”

While it was still hurting someone, it was better than killing them and he was relieved about that.

Fidgeting a bit, Chatte Noire needed to get this out of the way. “And listen, I’m flattered and all but-.”

When she began, Theo paled now realizing what he might’ve done.

So he quickly cut her off. “I’m not-I mean,” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, it’s just when I saw you and Beetle flirting, it made me jealous because I wished I had someone like that, it wasn’t because it was you and him.”

Oh man, this was so embarrassing.

Chatte Noire looked relieved at hearing that because the last thing she wanted to do was hurt someone for liking her.

“Well don’t worry, you’ll find someone, just keep trying.” Chatte told him, earning an appreciative smile before she waved and took off.

Huh, for once she didn’t use her Cataclysm, so she had no time limit.

Speaking of which, was Beetle okay?

Making it to the skylight, Chatte called out. “Beetle?”

She heard movement in there, panicked one that made her worry so she jumped in there only to see a figure wearing a tarp like a cloak

That dumbfounded her before a realization came to mind. “Beetle, is that you?” She asked, making the figure stop.

The covered head gave a nod, not saying anything.

It seemed like his time limit ran out.

And Chatte could hear chewing inside of the tarp, showing that his Kwami must be trying to get some energy back.

Chatte found herself conflicted.

This could be her chance to find out who he was.

Taking a step forward, Chatte reached a hand out, but not to grab the tarp, instead she held it out with an uncertain expression.

“Beetle, you know I won’t tell anyone who you are, right?”

She was hoping he would take her up on that.

And she could see despite the tarp covering him, how he hesitated.

“I’m sorry, but no one can know who we are, not even us.” He finally said, though Chatte’s ears perked at finding the voice familiar.

Even more familiar now that the glamour charm wasn’t hiding it.

Did she know Beetle outside of the mask?

Still she lowered her arm and backed off, respecting his choice.

As she turned to leave, Beetle spoke up. “Chatte?”

She turned towards him. “Yes?”

“Thank you for believing in me,” Beetle was grateful that Chatte Noire didn’t fall for the museum video like everyone else. “When everyone else thought it was me I didn’t know what to do.”

Hearing that, Chatte smiled. “I’ll always have your back my prince,” She told him. “Even if it’s you and me against the world.”

And she meant it.

Beetle gave a nod, watching as Chatte left, using her staff to get vault up to the skylight, leaving him to sigh underneath the tarp before Tikki spoke, having finished her cookie.

“Talk about a close one.”

Maron gave a nod of agreement, happy that Chatte didn’t press the issue.

* * *

It didn’t take too long to get home after that mess as Maron was watching the news, seeing that they were reporting on the video footage showing him and Chatte against Copybug with his name being cleared.

But Maron couldn’t help but frown.

Don’t get him wrong, he’s happy to be cleared of all charges like that, but the fact that so many people were ready to believe it just bothered him.

Turning away from the news, Maron checked his phone only to see a reply from Annette and his heart practically stopped.

In all of the excitement, he completely forgot that he texted her.

Feeling his throat go dry, Maron felt relief as Annette seemed receptive to the idea of hanging out and took a deep breath, texting back about a movie.

But he didn’t send it, rereading it over and over again to make sure that it wasn’t too much or obvious that he was nervous.

It was just hanging out… As friends.

He needed to keep it that way for now.

There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the sentence, so Maron sent it and a few seconds later a reply came back.

She accepted!

Maron had a big grin on his face that made Tikki giggle.

At least some things were starting to look up.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright another chapter so soon and this one had a lot of changes.
> 
> For example, instead of Theo crushing on Ladybug who is Beetle now, he had a bit of a crush on Chatte Noire which meant that instead of Copycat, he would turn into Copybug-not a clever name I know but I couldn’t think of one off the top of my head.
> 
> That in itself changed quite a bit.
> 
> Along with Maron choosing to text Annette instead of calling, seriously texting the question would be a lot easier if you think about it given how nervous Marinette would be.
> 
> So that had the butterfly effect of him attending the ceremony along with Chatte instead of stealing her phone and with Annette seeing the text he sent instead of him deleting the message which wasn't as humiliating.
> 
> Because honestly I can’t see Maron breaking into the Girl’s Locker Room to do that like how Marinette did into the Boys Locker Room. Honestly if the genders were reversed in the actual show and they did that, how much do you want to bet they would've been bashing that episode for that alone?
> 
> Now I looked up Theo’s age and saw that he was either 16 or 18 and I know how some people found him uncomfortable due to how he had a crush on Ladybug who was 13 at that time, but honestly no one knew who Ladybug was so they obviously didn’t know her age, I’m pretty sure if he knew how old she was he wouldn’t have a crush like that.
> 
> I also tried to add to the whole reason he was Akumatized showing that seeing the two heroes flirt, even if one of said heroes didn’t realize he was doing that, just reminded him of how he didn’t have anyone like that and that sparked the jealousy that Hawk Moth needed.
> 
> Now next time we’re going to see how Beetle and Chatte Noire do against an actual Supervillain that isn’t an Akuma, hope you’re looking forward to it.


	10. Darkstar Part 1

A young man with blonde hair hummed in thought as he sat back in a chair, dressed in nothing more than a bathrobe, a laptop on the nearby table, showing videos of Beetle and Chatte Noire that were sent to him by an old friend.

Reaching over he grabbed a wine glass, taking a small sip with a look of hunger in his blue eyes as he watched how the heroes move

The powers they showed.

One creating objects and fixing damages while the other somehow used destruction to save the day.

Just imagining the energy only one of them held was enough for his lips to curl into a smirk.

The thought of it was just so irresistible.

So much that he was willing to risk the luxurious lifestyle he managed to build up over the years.

The more rational side of him was thinking about ignoring it, much like how he did when news of Beetle and Chatte Noire first appeared.

He had no need for them.

Obviously his old friend disagreed given the amount of times he was sent a link to show videos of them, much to his amusement.

But as time went on upon learning of their existence that rational side was slowly slipping away, giving in to his temptations, especially whenever he sees Chatte Noire.

While Beetle was just as powerful given his abilities, there was something so… Tempting about the one that caused Destruction.

And he was getting a bit bored lately.

“Michael?” A young voice called out, gaining the young man’s attention as he turned to see a young woman in her late twenties with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a sleeveless yellow dress as she entered.

However if one looked closely enough they would see the bags beneath her eyes and how pale her skin was along with the strange star shaped marks on her arms as the woman gave a smile that Michael returned.

Lucy, once a young girl who had a promising life as a reporter, always chasing the truth until they met where she came the closest to discovering who he truly was.

Now she was a shell of her former self and Michael knew that her time was almost up.

A pity, he’s grown pretty attached to this one, much like Trina many years ago.

Standing up, he walked over to Lucy who gave a smile, looking like she was smitten when that was far from the truth before he placed his hands on his arms, right where the marks were, a yellow glow emitting from them as Michael grinned, his eyes turning gold.

He’ll be sure to savor this while he can before he looks for his next trophy.

And he already had his eyes on who it would be.

* * *

Plagg watched with a bored look as Annette was brushing her hair, humming one of the songs that came from those weird shows she watched.

He wasn’t sure which one because there were too many for him to keep track of.

Instead, he landed on the faucet of the sink, the action making her glance down at him.

“What’s wrong?” Annette asked, a little worried for the Kwami.

“Do I have to go on this date of yours?” Plagg asked, annoyance showing in his tone.

Annette gave a small chuckle, placing her brush down. “It’s not a date, Plagg. It’s just a movie.”

Besides, she has her heart set on her Prince.

“You’re a girl going to the movies with a boy, that’s a date.” Plagg drawled out.

He had a feeling that Maron probably viewed this as one.

“You’re just imagining that, Maron’s a friend.” Annette pulled out her phone to check the time. “Besides you have to come, what if an Akuma attacks and I need to transform?”

Plagg groaned, hating that she was right about that.

But he mentally snickered at her practically friendzoning the poor boy.

At least he can find some amusement in that.

“Besides, I’ve been looking forward to this movie for ages.” Annette’s eyes gleamed in excitement.

Knightowl vs Majestia.

And if the rumors were right, that meant the United Heroez might become a movie after years of comics and then building up by making a movie about each of them.

She’s already seen Majestia, Knightowl, Victory, Majestia 2, Snowflake, Knightowl and Sparrow: Heroes of Prey and Doorman: Portals to the Unknown.

All of them were amazing and this one would be the first time they would have two of the heroes meet after having easter eggs in each of them with rumors of the movies being connected.

So if it works then United Heroez might come out soon.

“Why? You’re a superhero.” Plagg couldn’t understand Annette’s passion for those movies when she’s literally living them by being Chatte Noire.

At that, Annette just grinned. “Doesn’t mean I can’t love the movies.”

Seeing her phone beep, Annette saw that it was almost time to leave given how her bodyguard would drop her off at the movies where she’ll be meeting Maron.

* * *

“Calm down, Maron.” Tikki flew out of the way of a shirt being thrown, watching as the teenage boy was trying to find the right clothes to wear.

Clothes were strewn about on the floor and he was already tearing his closet apart.

“I can’t, this needs to go perfect, I can’t wear what I normally wear!” Maron exclaimed, his hair messy due to how many times he grabbed it in his panic. “And I don’t have any of the clothes I looked up to wear.”

Just about everything was way too expensive for him and he didn’t want to bother his parents about getting them.

He could make some maybe, but that would take time he currently doesn’t have.

Oh man, oh man, oh man, he needs to do something.  
“I thought you said this wasn’t a date.” Tikki pointed out to him, though there was a teasing edge to it with Maron getting flustered.

“It isn’t.” Maron denied immediately, rapidly waving his hands in front of him while doing that. “I mean I want it to be, but it isn’t, she might not see it like that. But I can’t just be plain.”

His stomach was already in knots and he was having trouble breathing.

For a second, he thought he was going to be sick and Maron was considering texting Annette to say that he came down with something to avoid this.

Seeing that, Tikki flew down and rubbed the back of his shoulder, trying to calm him down. “You’re overthinking this, just be normal.” She told him once more.

The most important thing is to have fun.

To enjoy the movie.

Maron took a deep breath before his phone buzzed and he checked to see it was from Alya.

‘ _ You almost ready? _ ’

“I swear, she’s more excited than I am about this.” Maron muttered, replying yes.

Tikki giggled. “Given how long you’ve danced around talking with Annette, she’s probably happy that you finally worked up the courage to go through with this.”

Alya’s response interrupted whatever Maron had to say to that.

‘ _ Good, now remember to wear the Bluetooth I lent you and hide it with your hair, you need to be calm. I'll talk you through it. _ ’

Reading that helped Maron calm down.

Despite his misgivings about this, he was happy that Alya was there to help.

It should help keep things from being too awkward.

“Alright, you can do this.” Maron whispered, once more taking a deep breath before seeing Tikki fly into his bag and pull out the bluetooth that Alya lent him. “Thanks Tikki.”

Taking it, he placed it in his ear and smoothed his hair out a bit, to at least look presentable.

Looking through his clothes, Maron finally decided on a red flannel shirt over a black shirt and jeans.

Not too much, but it wasn’t what he usually wore either.

He was ready.

Grabbing his bag as Tikki flew in, Maron went downstairs only to grimace as a flash of light nearly blinded him.

While he rubbed his eyes, Sabine lowered the camera with an amused smile. “You look nice Maron.” She said before raising a brow. “How bad is the mess?”

Maron went red after getting the spots out of his eyes. “I’ll uh-, clean it up after I get back.” He promised, knowing how bad it was.

He wasn’t one to leave it for his parents to clean, especially with how busy they can get.

And due to the curfews, they had to have the movie hangout happen early in the afternoon on wednesday where there was no school.

But it was also a busy day at the bakery for his parents.

Sabine shook her head at that, still smiling as she placed the camera down. “Don’t worry about it, just have a good time,” She told him, embracing Maron in a hug. “And be sure to bring Annette over, it would be nice to get to know your crush.”

“Wha-I-But-You,” Maron spluttered, now very embarrassed and having trouble getting the words out when he separated from Sabine. “W-What you about talking are-I mean-... How?!”

“Maron, subtle is the last thing you are.” Sabine smirked at him. “You’ve been acting strange since school started.”

If anything, she found it adorable that Maron got his first crush and she really hoped it went well.

Maron looked down both relieved and mortified.

But at least it was that and not his other reason for acting strange, he has no idea how his parents would react to him being Beetle.

Feeling like that was enough teasing, Sabine backed off, going down to help out with the bakery, leaving Maron by himself to gather his thoughts.

Was his crush on Annette really that obvious?

“Yes.” Tikki answered, showing that he spoke out loud without realizing it again.

He really needed to fix that.

* * *

It took no time at all for Maron to reach the theater, looking around for Annette, taking the time to turn the bluetooth on.

Just in time too as it rang, making him jump.

“ _ Kind of weird seeing you in different clothes. _ ” Alya’s voice came through the bluetooth the moment he answered it.

Turning around, he was able to spot her through the crowd with the teen giving a wave.

“Way to give me a heart attack.” Maron muttered, earning a chuckle from her.

“ _ Day’s too soon for that, by the way Annette at six ‘o’ clock. _ ”

Eyes widening, Maron nearly fell over as he spun around to see Annette making her way through the crowd.

She was wearing what she usually wore showing that Maron really did overthink this.

“Maron, almost didn’t recognize you.” Annette said with the boy trying to speak. “Are you trying a new look?”

Not trusting himself to speak, he gave a nod.

“Well it looks nice.”

“ _ Thank you. _ ” Alya whispered, trying to get Maron to speak.

“You’re welcome.” Maron answered immediately, tensing as he realized what he just did while Annette blinked in confusion.

He could literally hear Alya face palm on the bluetooth.

“Uh, mean I-you thank I-... Thanks.” Maron looked away, already seeing this as a failure of a conversation.

Tikki stealthily snuck out of the bag and up the inside part of the jacket to poke Maron’s back, getting him to focus on something else.

“Um… After you?” Maron gestured towards the theater, not wanting to risk this getting worse.

Despite finding how Maron was acting to be odd, Annette followed him, eager to see the movie.

Though she was a bit down that Maron seemed to be back to acting like this around her, she thought that he was getting over whatever was bothering him.

“I’m rooting for Knightowl to win, what about you?” Annette asked, grinning at the thought of the fight scenes that would be in this movie.

Sure it wouldn’t be the whole movie given how they were heroes that would eventually team up, but that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy the first meeting.

She was always a fan of who would win in a fight between the heroes in the comics due to how versatile they were.

It took a second for Maron to register the question. “M-Me to.” He agreed despite not knowing much about the lore behind the comics.

He wasn’t as big of a fan as Alya who made her displeasure known.

“ _ Come on, Knightowl is cool, but Majestia trumps her easily. _ ”

Maron kept quiet, not wanting to say that.

Hopefully the movie will help him get over how he was acting.

* * *

Michael smirked as he walked around Paris, keeping an eye out for the heroes, wearing a dark grey overcoat over a black shirt, khaki pants, black dress shoes and a brown scarf.

It took no time at all for him to get there after having to get rid of some baggage that he couldn’t keep around anymore.

Passing by a nearby store, he used the window to check his reflection, taking care to ensure that everything was in place.

He needed to get into the graces of the heroes which means he needed to be seen doing something.

Seeing a lone woman through the reflection, he smirked.

He had just the incident in mind and he could go for a snack.

* * *

Maron could barely focus on the movie as he was sitting next to Annette in the theater, the girl watching the movie with a big grin while he kept trying to avoid sneaking glances her way.

He couldn’t help it and he was kicking himself, stopping before he actually did that, though a few times it happened without thinking.

Along with him not knowing what was going on in the movie itself, he had a hard time focusing, now wishing he watched the other movies or at least read the comics to prepare for this one.

Instead he just sipped his soda, pretending that he was watching it, wincing at one of the fight scenes.

Man Knightowl is brutal to criminals, he didn’t even know arms could bend like that.

Then there was Majestia who appeared on the screen with Maron a bit shocked at the many powers she had, mentally comparing them to his and Chatte’s powers.

That was seriously unfair.

Alya cheered a bit loudly as she appeared though, making Maron wince and nearly turn the bluetooth off.

But he kept it on because she did whisper when he was doing something weird or being too awkward.

“Victory and Doorman showed up?” Annette was very happy after a bit, seeing two heroes from past movies. “This confirms Heroez United!”

Maron just gave a nod as if agreeing.

He was glad when the movie finally seemed to end and went to get up only for Annette to give him a strange look. “Aren’t you curious about the post credits scene?”

There’s a post credit scene?!

Going red in embarrassment, Maron gave a nod. “S-S-Stretching.” He managed to get out before sitting back down a bit mortified.

Thankfully it didn’t take too long and they were both leaving the theater with Annette talking animatedly about the movie.

Seeing her so passionate about it was a surprise and made Maron’s resolve to watch the past movies a bit stronger so he could understand half of the references she was making.

“And then there’s the flirting that ended up happening between Majestia and Knightowl, it was hinted at in the comics,” Annette could barely wait for the next movie. “To think they added it in the movie.”

“It is a bold direction.” Maron commented with a nod, for once managing to get a sentence out.

While he never read the comics, even he heard of the controversy of having that in it with some prejudiced people calling the writers out on it.

Though it’s waned over time as people became more accepting, there’s no doubt that having it in the movie would bring some of it back while many others would be happy to see it.

People were fickle after all.

“ _ I know right? I love it! _ ” Alya’s voice came through the bluetooth with Maron now having to juggle between two different conversations.

“Who’s your favorite hero?” Annette asked, happy that he actually spoke normally around her.

Fidgeting a bit, Maron looked away before answering. “D-D-Doorman.”

That surprised Annette. “Really?” She asked not expecting that.

People usually liked the other heroes compared to him.

Maron just nodded.

Portals were cool and seriously they would come in handy with getting around, especially with Akuma’s on the loose.

Doorman was just so friendly and open with people in the movie along with a strong sense of what’s right.

And he was rather versatile in using the portal power in ways Maron didn’t expect.

“ _ He’s alright, but Majestia is cooler. _ ” Alya said with Maron refraining from rolling his eyes.

Barely that is.

Screams interrupted their conversation, both hero personalities taking over as they got ready to make an excuse only to see something that concerned them.

Across the street they could see a woman stumbling around on the sidewalk, people moving to avoid her, thinking she was an Akuma.

And given her zombified look with the pale grey colored skin, baggy eyes and sagging face they might be onto something.

Only if it was an Akuma, it had to be the most passive one they’ve seen before it began to walk across the road, making a car that was coming swerve as it tried to stop only to crash into another car which resulted in a pile up.

“ _ I need to go, I’m getting this for the blog. _ ” Alya said, hanging up as she figured the girl was an Akuma.

Obviously in the same mindset, along with seeing people who need help, Annette spoke. “I’m going to call the police!” She said, taking off.

While Maron found it strange that she didn’t just use her phone then and there, he didn’t complain due to needing to change as well.

Running in the opposite direction and cutting through an alley, Maron placed the bluetooth in his bag as Tikki got out. “So much for a quiet day. Tikki, Spots On!”

* * *

If Beetle was surprised to see Chatte Noire already there helping people out of their vehicles, he didn’t show it, instead just leaping in to help out.

“You got here fast.” Chatte said, showing her surprise, pulling someone out of a car.

“I was in the area when it happened, any idea on zombie girl back there?” Beetle asked, glancing towards the girl, only to see her collapse.

“If she’s an Akuma she’s definitely a weird one.” Chatte Noire commented, giving a shrug.

As they worked, they heard more screams right when one of the cars caught fire, some of the embers igniting the leaking fuel.

They had no time to move at all as the cars began to explode, thankfully they were empty ones, but much to their surprise, someone actually landed in front of them and the civilians they managed to save.

Raising his hand, Michael erected a yellow energy shield that covered everyone right as the explosion happened, preventing any deaths or serious injuries.

Though he kept it up rather easily, he made a face as if he was straining to help sell it right before he let the shield drop, falling to one knee as if exhausted, barely hiding a smirk.

That should do it.

And he was right as people were cheering at him for what he just did, not knowing that he instigated all of it.

Standing up, he turned to see both heroes giving him a surprised look.

“Someone you know?” Chatte Noire asked Beetle who shook his head.

“He’s not attacking us, so definitely not an Akuma.”

But he didn’t look like he was wearing a Miraculous either given how with his experience each miraculous user had details of the animal they were based on.

Did that mean that there were other sources of super powers out there?

“Is everyone alright?” Michael threw on a look of concern looking around. “Did anyone get injured?”

“Thankfully no, you really saved the day there.” Beetle said with a smile, approaching Michael and holding out his hand. “That was impressive.”

Michael smiled. “Thanks and it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Michael Morningstar,” He said, accepting the handshake. “You and Chatte Noire were an inspiration.”

Beetle looked embarrassed by that as he let go, seeing Alya recording this, no doubt happy at seeing a ‘third’ hero appear and was probably going to try and interview him.

“Nice to meowt you.” Chatte punned, holding out her hand with a grin as Michael gave a small chuckle, accepting the handshake, closing his eyes to hide a small glow.

Though Chatte was surprised when the moment they shook hands, a literal spark erupted from the shake.

“Huh, that never happened before.” Michael mused in surprise.

“I guess you can say there’s a spark between us?” Chatte punned, surprising herself by that.

And she surprised Beetle who glanced at her given how it sounded like she was flirting with someone else for once.

That wasn’t what she was doing, but for some reason, it felt natural to do that.

“Probably.” Michael sounded like he was humoring her before turning serious. “What about the girl?”

Pushing down Chatte’s unusual behavior, Beetle glanced over to see that paramedics had arrived and were checking people out for any injuries.

And given how they covered the body, Beetle knew that it wasn’t a good sign.

Someone actually died.

That pretty much killed the mood as Beetle took that pretty hard.

“Still, it would’ve been much worse if you didn’t show up.” Chatte Noire said, looking saddened but trying to see the brighter side here.

If Michael didn’t stop the explosion, more people would’ve died including the heroes given how they weren’t exactly sure if they could survive that or not.

And they were in no hurry to find out.

“She’s right, but what caused her to end up like that.” Beetle frowned in concern. “Is there an Akuma running around that caused it or is it something else?”

“I doubt it’s an Akuma, don’t they always go out in the open?” Chatte asked with Beetle giving her that.

All of the Akuma’s would be out in the open, making their declarations known.

None of them did anything in the shadows.

“Spectacular!” Alya’s voice cut through, making them turn towards her to see that she recorded the whole thing. “Another new hero in Paris? This is definitely going to make waves on the blog.”

Michael refrained from smirking as it was working.

So far he was doing good in gaining their trust.

“You called yourself Morningstar right?” Alya asked, hearing the name. “Do you mind if I interview you?”

“I don’t mind, I’m staying at the Le Grand Paris Hotel if you want the interview to happen there, in the lobby of course.” Michael meant that last part as a joke.

Beetle looked from Michael to the covered girl, some confusion going through him.

“I better stick around to answer any questions the police have.” Michael said shaking the heroes hands once more, though that was when Beetle noticed that he held Chatte’s a bit longer.

Cocking his head to the side at seeing that, Beetle shrugged it off while Chatte felt a little lightheaded, giving Michael a bit of a dreamy look before Beetle placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile.

“We should get out of here too, meet up at the usual place later?” He asked.

Even if it wasn’t an Akuma, this felt like something they needed to look into.

His smile dropped as Chatte didn’t answer immediately, before shaking her head to clear it. “Of course, see you there Beetle.”

It was after she vaulted away that Beetle realized she didn’t call him ‘my prince’.

That nickname was something he got used to, so he was a little concerned about how she was acting but figured if something was bothering her, she would tell him.

* * *

Instead of waiting for her bodyguard to pick her up, Chatte Noire made it home where she snuck into her room.

“Plagg, Claws In.”

She yawned as the transformation wore off, only to see Plagg seemed a bit more exhausted then normal.

That was strange, she didn’t use her Cataclysm.

But maybe he just wanted some Camembert.

So she pulled a small container out of her bag, holding it out to the Kwami who slowly took it, showing that the exhaustion was bigger than normal.

“Are you alright?” Annette asked in concern, earning a nod from Plagg.

“I’m fine, don’t know why I’m tired though.”

“Well we have time before we meet up with Beetle later.” Annette said, given how it would be a few hours before it was night. “So rest up.”

She wanted to try and find out what was going on.

People just don’t get all zombified like that out of nowhere and if it wasn’t an Akuma, they needed to locate the source and stop it.

“Blech, more flirting with him?” Plagg asked, sick of it.

“What can I say? There’s a spark between Morningstar and I.”

Plagg gave a sarcastic nod as if he was listening before stopping as he realized what she just said.

“You mean Beetle, right?” He asked, his exhaustion turning to concern when she gave him a confused look.

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you clearly said Morningstar.” Plagg actually put his cheese down and flew up to Annette.

Did she?

Annette frowned in confusion.

She could’ve sworn-.

No matter, she needed a shower. She smelled like smoke and popcorn-... Oh crap.

“Maron!” Annette’s eyes widened as she basically just ditched him at the movies.

Oh man, what kind of friend does that?!

In her panic, Annette pulled her phone and called him.

She didn’t have to wait long for him to answer.

“ _ Hello? _ ” Maron asked, his tone showing that he didn’t even glance at the Caller ID.

“Maron are you alright?” Annette asked and she heard a surprised cry from Maron before hearing him fumble followed by a thud.

“ _ S-Sorry phone my-I mean I dropped my phone. _ ” Maron sounded nervous again. “ _ That was-what was-... Hi. _ ”

Plagg was cackling in the background, keeping his snickers muffled while Annette gave him a look.

“I’m so sorry, my bodyguard picked me up before I could find you and I heard the explosions, please tell me you weren’t caught up in it.” Annette was worried for her friend.

Sure she didn’t see Maron around when the explosions happened, but so much was going on that she could’ve easily missed him.

“ _ N-No I’m fine. _ ” Maron was trying not to faint.

A part of him was happy to hear that Annette was worried for him because it meant she cared but he shook his head.

Of course she did, they were friends.

It was only natural for her to be worried.

“ _ I uh… Ran. _ ” Maron whispered, sounding dejected from how lame it sounded.

But it’s not like he could say that he had to become Beetle to help.

Thankfully, Annette figured he was embarrassed because of that admission. “I’m just happy you weren’t caught up in that.” She said with a sigh of relief.

She didn’t know what she would do if her friend got hurt.

“Still despite that, I had fun hanging out with you.”

“ _ T-T-Thanks. _ ” Maron whispered, flustered on his end, happy that he didn’t screw this up.

Annette swore she heard another voice in the background, a bit of a squeaky one, but couldn’t make out the words.

“ _ Uh I mean fun-I-I had fun too. _ ” Maron managed to force out thanks to Tikki helping him.

“I’ll see you in school tomorrow.” Annette smiled despite how Maron couldn’t see it. “Talk to you later?”

He barely managed to squeak out an ‘alright’ before hanging up.

Now satisfied that Maron was alright, Annette went to take a shower, taking her jacket off in the bathroom only to stop in shock.

On her hand was a star shaped mark, a faded one, but it was there.

What in the-?!

She has a tattoo?! When did she get this?!

How?!

Why?!

* * *

Maron covered his face in embarrassment as he made it back home after the phone call with Annette, having changed back after landing on the balcony leading to his room .

Great, as if he couldn’t be anymore awkward.

Still, the hangout went alright and she did enjoy herself, that was important.

Right now he needed to focus.

With a deep breath, Maron went inside and got to his computer, immediately bringing up the news showcasing Morningstar’s debut and something about the millionaire philanthropist Benedict Uno throwing a gala, but that was something he ignored quite easily.

As people were praising Morningstar, Maron however focused more on the zombie-like girl.

“Tikki any ideas?” Maron asked, seeing the Kwami gazing at the screen in concern.

“None, I’ve never seen anything like this.” Tikki shook her head with Maron biting his lower lip in thought.

They needed to find the source of what happened because someone died.

And it was someone they couldn’t bring back.

Tikki already explained that his Miraculous Ladybug only worked in fixing damages caused by another Miraculous, whether it’s an Akuma, Chatte’s Cataclysm or anything he does as Beetle.

Those were the things they can fix, people hurt or killed in the fights against the Akumas can be brought back, albeit with some trauma but it was better than being dead.

This however, they can’t reverse.

This was permanent.

So they needed to end this before anyone else dies.

But they had little to no information on what happened.

And there was something else that scared him.

Should they find the one responsible for it, it would definitely be a hard fight.

Unlike their past fights, it wouldn’t be with an Akuma who they could defeat by finding the object and breaking it, the many wins against them and by extension Hawk Moth meaning nothing against this new threat.

This wasn’t a victim of Hawk Moth. This wasn’t someone being controlled.

But an actual criminal.

Worse, it was a killer.

That terrified him.

Pushing the fear down, Maron refocused and continued his research, deciding to use Google by typing in the symptoms, only to be surprised by quite a few headlines.

Headlines that were scattered across every few years, most of the headlines were called the Darkstar Killer.

Clicking on each of them brought up a picture of someone looking similar.

Tikki gasped at seeing this while Maron paled.

Oh great, it’s a serial killer.

One who hasn’t been caught considering how the earliest one he could find was in the mid 90’s.

There were a few connections though.

All of the victims were young women, women who disappeared for years only to wind up in this state.

Each of them having a dark star-like mark on their arms, probably where the name Darkstar came from.

Hearing his phone buzzing, Maron checked to see that Alya was letting him know that she was going to interview Morningstar for her blog and to look forward to it.

Giving a slight chuckle as this would be her first actual interview considering how he and Chatte haven’t stuck around for any, he texted her back, wishing her luck before getting back to his research.

* * *

That evening, Chatte Noire was waiting at the Eiffel Tower for Beetle to show up, feeling a bit more tired then usual, combined with the fact that she had a tattoo that she never knew about on her hand.

So she panicked for quite a bit.

She tried scrubbing it with soap, looked up how to get rid of it, she even looked up how it was possible to get one without knowing it.

She was terrified of how her father would react if he saw it.

Tapping a claw on the rail of the tower, Chatte glanced down in thought, seeing people trying to get home before the night curfew set in.

It was kind of soothing to see something like this, to see them moving from up high.

And it was so peaceful.

If only this type of peace would last forever.

Then she could just relax with her prince, Morn-.

Chatte blinked, uncertainty clouding her features.

She did it again.

This time however she caught it.

Why was she starting to think of Morningstar as her prince when it should be Beetle?

Beetle was the one she fought alongside, the one she knew the best.

She only met Morningstar once, yet for some reason he was starting to replace Beetle in her thoughts.

That-That wasn’t right, she knew it wasn’t.

Yet it kept happening.

Unknown to Chatte, the mark on her hand was glowing beneath her suit, her shoulders beginning to drop as exhaustion began to flood through her once more.

Hearing a familiar noise, Chatte forced a smile on her face as Beetle landed on the tower, carrying a bag much to her confusion.

It looked like a normal backpack.

“What’s that for, Beetle?” Chatte asked curiously as her partner moved to stand near her.

“Something I brought along because I’ve been doing some research.” Beetle answered, just purchasing the bag to avoid bringing his own personal one.

Mostly because he couldn’t really fit what he had into his personal bag that was connected to the yo-yo due to how full it already was.

Opening it, Beetle pulled out quite a few stacks of paper, idly glancing over his history book.

He ended up finishing his history homework while doing his research and accidentally put it in this bag.

He’ll take it out when he has time.

Instead he showed Chatte the pictures he printed out of the past victims, making her eyes widen.

Especially when she saw the star marks on the arms that he zoomed in on.

“I typed in the symptoms online and found quite a few unsettling things.” Beetle revealed, not seeing the eyes widen. “Whoever or whatever is causing this has been doing this for a long time, so we need to be careful.”

There’s no telling what they would find.

“This mark.” Chatte whispered, her tone catching Beetle by surprised.

He’s never heard her sound so unsettled.

“What is it?”

“When I went home, I found this exact mark on my hand.”

That revelation silenced Beetle who’s eyes widened at what he was hearing.

“What?”

“I-I found it when I was home, it surprised me because I’ve never seen it before.” Chatte shook her head, trying to think of how it got there.

But Beetle had a fear of his own.

Did this mean that the perpetrator was making Chatte his next victim?!

And if so did she gain it as Chatte or as her other identity?

“Chatte, until we find this guy promise me you won’t let yourself be alone.” He said, not wanting to imagine his partner ending up like these victims.

He knew she could take care of herself, he trusted her in that regard.

However, this was getting to be more dangerous than usual.

Chatte just chuckled, remembering how public her life was due to who her father was and living the life of a model.

With how often she was in the spotlight, Chatte was amazed she was capable of keeping her superhero persona from being discovered.

“Don’t worry Beetle, I’m barely alone.” She said flashing him a smile to calm him down because she could see how worried he looked.

Deep down that made her very happy.

But the worried expression deepened.

He could tell that something was off with Chatte.

No puns, no flirty jokes and not calling him a prince?

He didn’t mind her not doing that last one, but he got so used to it that the fact she isn’t doing it was concerning.

And despite the strong front she was putting on, he could see that she was getting a little pale.

“Chatte, you would tell me if something was bothering you right?”

The smile almost dropped off of Chatte’s face but she fixed it so fast that Beetle wasn’t sure. “Of course.” She said, not getting why he asked that.

She was just tired after all and she already told him about the mark.

What else was there to tell?

Beetle thought about pushing but gave a nod before glancing down on the streets.

It seemed that he was content with enjoying the peace with his partner who stood by him with a smile.

* * *

Annette winced as she entered the school, feeling light-headed and wearing gloves to hide the mark.

It was pretty tough to convince Nathalie that she was fine given how pale she was in the morning despite the looks of disbelief Plagg gave her from his hiding spot.

The woman almost brought her father in on this until Annette begged her, promising to call immediately should something happen.

In response to that she had some makeup on to hide the pale features, but her eyes weren’t as vibrant as they usually were.

Still, she didn’t want to worry her friends.

Though that seemed impossible given the look that Nino gave her while he approached.

“You coming down with something, dude?” Nino asked, uncertain if she was just sick or tired.

“Probably, it is getting to be flu season.” Annette used that cover to hide the strange bouts of exhaustion she had.

Just as long as she kept the mark hidden, she was good.

Nino gave a nod agreeing with that. “What, you never got your Flu Shot yet?” He asked in a joking tone. “I didn’t know you were afraid of needles.”

“Who isn’t?” Annette returned, happy to have a sense of normalcy.

“True.” Nino chuckled, the two heading for their lockers before class could start. “How was the movie?”

He hasn’t seen it himself, but he was looking forward to it.

Annette’s eyes lit up. “It was amazing, the fight scenes were awesome.” She said animatedly, grinning Nino’s way. “And the way they brought in the characters just added to it.”

Nino gave a nod, happy to see that she wasn’t giving any spoilers.

He was definitely going to watch it himself.

A buzzing brought Annette’s attention to her phone as she pulled it out to see that Alya finally posted the interview with Morningstar on the Beetleblog.

It seemed she spent most of the night going over it before posting it this morning.

“Kind of wicked that there’s a new hero,” Nino said, seeing the link when Annette showed him. “Think he’ll be teaming up with Beetle and Chatte Noire against any Akumas?”

He won’t lie, the guy would be a huge help against them with his powers.

“I hope so.” Annette couldn’t help but say, a warm smile on her face.

Something that Nino noticed. “Dude, do you have a crush on Morningstar?” He asked with a teasing smirk.

“W-Wha? Of course not.” Annette denied, not sure why he would think that.

“Sure you don’t.” Disbelief was evident in Nino’s tone before he shrugged. “Not hard to see why, he has good looks and seems pretty chill.”

Nino noticed the weird look she was giving him when he said Morningstar had good looks.

“What?” Nino didn’t see anything wrong with acknowledging that. “I’m just being honest.”

“So am I, I don’t have a crush on Morningstar, you know I like someone else.”

Nino gave a snort, shaking his head. “Yeah, with a guy you said that you worked with, that doesn’t exactly narrow it down.”

Annette just looked away given how she couldn’t exactly say that she worked with Beetle and liked him.

Man, this secret identity thing was hard when it concerned friends.

* * *

A smirk went across Michael’s face as he read the blog where his interview went online.

Another mark on him gaining enough trust to accomplish what he came back to Paris for.

More than that, by pretending to be a Hero, no one would ever suspect him of being the so-called Darkstar Killer as the newspaper, though he’ll need to cut back to avoid any suspicion.

Standing up, Michael walked to the nearby mirror where he checked his reflection to see that he definitely looked a lot younger due to the amount of life force he’s absorbed in the last few days.

And he felt great, even better than before after just a small taste of Chatte Noire.

He only started small because he didn’t know if her powers would give her a resistance to his life drain ability and he didn’t want to tip his hand too fast.

Besides, she’ll come to him eventually as his powers chipped away at her walls.

It was only a matter of time.

His phone rang with Michael recognizing the ringtone immediately as he answered. “I was wondering when I would hear from you,” He said to the friend that sent him the videos of the Heroes. “Did you like my debut?”

“ **_A bit FLASHY but it went alright, just be sure to keep them away from my BUSINESS while you have your fun._ ** ” A dark voice with a british accent returned.

Michael looked vaguely amused. “Just how were they in your business? I could’ve sworn they only came out when Hawk Moth pulled something,” He then raised a brow. “Unless he is one of yours.”

An annoyed sigh came from the other end of the line at the question. “ **_No he isn’t, if you could perhaps take CARE of that small problem that would be MUCH appreciated._ ** ” The voice began to raise a bit in anger before he took a deep breath to calm down. “ **_All he’s DOING is riling the police up enough that I can’t get any BUSINESS done without drawing suspicion, and DON’T get me STARTED on these Heroes, you and I both know how troublesome those with hero tendencies tend to be._ ** ”

He knew for a fact that should Beetle and Chatte Noire actually find out he existed they would stick their nose in where it didn’t belong.

And that would leave him most… Unsatisfied.

Michael gave a nod in agreement as even those without powers were a nuisance to deal with, so actual superheroes were bound to be a problem.

“ **_Still relax, have a bit of fun while you work, I’m not against it,_ ** ” Michael’s friend continued, now in a much more light-hearted tone. “ **_In fact, I encourage it. Having a HERO in my employ would really be a step in the right direction._ ** ”

Michael frowned at that, not liking the idea of being in ‘his’ employ again, but said nothing.

As powerful as he is by himself, Michael was actually nothing compared to him and Michael wouldn’t even have his powers in the first place if it wasn’t for this man.

His friend seemed to sense that however despite how they weren’t even in the same room.

“ **_It seems like you disagree, tell me do you wish to NOT be in my employ?_ ** ” His friend asked in a dangerous tone. “ **_Because that CAN be arranged._ ** ”

“Of course not, I look forward to our work-,”

* * *

“ _ Father. _ ”

Michael’s voice ended as he hung up, leaving for the man he was speaking with to place the phone down as he stayed within the shadows.

In the shadows, one could see his slim shape with a pointed chin and nose, his hair styled up in a pompadour, a pipe sticking out of his mouth. 

However, if one looked closer that was all they could see, for his form was completely black with a red line, almost like a silhouette, piercing yellow eyes being the only feature one could make out.

“ **_Good._ ** ” Father said, his eyes narrowing to show how pleased he was. “ **_As LONG as we understand each other._ ** ”

Once those Heroes and this Hawk Moth was taken care of, it was business as usual with his hold over Paris.

He was the elusive and thought to be mythical Father of Crime after all.

And he planned to keep it that way.

**_To Be Continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh yes this particular villain will be a two parter to help flesh him out given how he’s not an Akuma, but more than that we have a look at yet another villain who will be the second Main Antagonist of this story right behind Hawk Moth who probably just stole the show in the end.
> 
> Now who expected for Father to be the dark villain I’ve alluded to? Before anyone says anything about him not being dark considering he’s from Codename: Kids Next Door, let me remind you how in KND he tried to bake kids into a cake, which is not only mass murder of children, a horrible crime in itself but also freaking cannabilism.
> 
> You can’t tell me he’s not pure evil after that and I will be taking some liberties with him for this fic much like with Darkstar.
> 
> I did have other ideas for the second antagonist and actually second guessed myself quite a few times, but in the end Father worked even better than the ones I considered. I tried to get his way of speaking down though getting how he speaks to written form is pretty tough, kudos to Maurice Lamarche for making his voice iconic.
> 
> Now back to Darkstar, he’s the official first supervillain the heroes will face and he already has a body count much like how he did in the Ben 10 AF cartoon, seriously this guy is dangerous in that show alone, along with how his powers work like a drug addiction to his victims which it’s starting to show on Annette after only a small drain, her thoughts being addled enough to where she’s not being truthful to Beetle about something bothering her.
> 
> Combined with the fact that the Akuma’s were comically evil, this will be the first true test for Beetle and Chatte Noire against a legit bad guy who isn’t afraid to cut loose and kill if he has to.
> 
> Oh and just in case no one caught on but the United Heroez only exist in this world as a comic book world much like how Marvel and DC do for the real world, so there won’t be a New York Special, no matter how much I loved it I’m not planning on doing it in this story.
> 
> I’m also planning on going over past chapters to make some small corrections I find in the story (Spelling/Missing words/ECT). Just not tonight, I’m posting this then going to bed.


End file.
